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The Charlotte Hornets (15 - 24) defeated the New York Knicks (5 - 35) 110 - 82 on Saturday. Charlotte got whatever they wanted on offense. Kemba Walker finished with a game - high 28 points in just 28 minutes, and oft - derided big man, Bismack Biyombo scored a career - high 14 points to help grab a double - double with 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes. The Hornets have rattled off five straight wins with two of their starters out with injury. Al Jefferson remains sidelined with a groin injury that is expected to keep him out for about another three weeks, and Lance Stephenson (pelvic) has been perpetually close to returning for the last week but still remains without a clear return date. After sitting out their last game with a shoulder injury, Cody Zeller returned to action, playing 17 minutes as the starting power forward. Charlotte will return home to host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. New York has lost 15 straight games with Saturday's loss to the Hornets. Cleanthony Early, the Knicks' top pick from the 2014 NBA Draft, made the first start of his career, putting up six points and two rebounds in 30 minutes. Quincy Acy led the team with 18 points in 22 minutes off the bench. The Knicks were down 62 - 31 at halftime and never had chance to come back. Carmelo Anthony is expected to undergo knee surgery at some point in the future, but president Phil Jackson said that Anthony expects to play in Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks in London. Jackson also said that the All-Star Game is important to Anthony, implying that the Knicks' star player is simply holding off surgery in the hope that he'll make another All-Star team in February.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 35 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 5 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 24 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 15 Turnovers ,has 15 Wins ."]

The Dallas Mavericks (32 - 17) defeated the Orlando Magic (15 - 35), 108 - 93. Both starting point guards, Rajon Rondo and Elfrid Payton, suffered game - ending injuries. Rondo played two minutes before receiving a Richard Jefferson knee to the head. Payton was slightly nudged from behind on a dunk attempt, landing awkwardly and was held out the rest of the contest. Victor Oladipo was unable to compete because of an Achilles issue. Evan Fournier started in his place, and joining him was Tobias Harris who replaced Channing Frye in the starting lineup. Thrust into primary ballhandling duty after the Elfrid Payton injury, seldom used Willie Green propelled the team into a competitive game by scoring nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. Ben Gordon was ejected for cursing at an official, and Nikola Vucevic earned his 29th double - double, second only to Paul Gasol. For the second straight game, Chandler Parsons did n't play due to illness. The Mavericks pushed ahead by as many as 27 points, leading 66 - 41 at halftime. Monta Ellis recorded 13 assists in Rajon Rondo's absence, piling in 25 points as well. The Magic begins a two - game road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, and the Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves after an off day.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 35 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 15 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 17 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 32 Wins ."]

Brooklyn came into this game as the fastest - paced team in the league and it's clearly hurting their defense. They allowed Portland to shoot 58 percent from the field here, dropping 129 points on just 85 shots. Damian Lillard has shot below 42 percent from the field in four - straight games, but he cracked that trend here, with a 8 - of - 14 night for 18 points. C.J. McCollum carried the load for Portland, as he scored a game - high 33 points, thanks to a 6 - of - 10 night from three - point range. The bench was huge as well, as Evan Turner, Allen Crabbed and Meyers Leonard combined for 47 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. They all shot at least 50 percent from the field and scored at least 14 points a piece. The backcourt of Isaiah Whitehead and Sean Kilpatrick did not keep up with their counterparts, as they combined to go 3 - of - 19 from the field for 22 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 58 Percentage of field goals ,has 129 Total points ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers (52 - 29) defeated the Detroit Pistons (31 - 50) 109 - 97 on Monday. J.R. Smith hit eight three - pointers to lead the Cavs past the Pistons. His teammate Kyrie Irving went 2 - for - 3 from three - point land, but sat out the second half as a precautionary measure when his hip tightened up. Matthew Dellavedova stepped in at point guard for Cleveland and finished with two points, five assists and no turnovers in 31 minutes. LeBron James had 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his second triple - double of the season. The last one came against the Chicago Bulls back on Apr. 5. Cleveland has the second seed locked up in the Eastern Conference. They are just waiting to see who lands in the seventh spot when the regular season concludes on Wednesday. They're 4 - 2 in April and finish up with the Washington Wizards on Wednesday in Cleveland. The Pistons had all five starters plus Jodie Meeks score in double figures, but it was n't enough to stop the Cavs. Even with Irving out of the lineup in the second half, they could n't overcome the 15 - point lead Cleveland had at halftime. Andre Drummond lead Detroit with 20 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. It was the first time Drummond played 30 or more minutes and did n't record 10 rebounds since Feb. 28. The Pistons are 2 - 5 in April and will look to end their season on a positive note when they take on the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 29 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 52 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 50 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 31 Wins ."]

The Denver Nuggets defeated the visiting Phoenix Suns, 120 - 104, at Pepsi Center on Wednesday. The Nuggets (4 - 7) essentially had control of the game from start to finish, holding off every Suns' (3 - 9) run en route to earning their first win at home this season. Wilson Chandler led the way off the bench for Denver, putting together his best game of the season, recording a team - high 28 points on top of 11 rebounds and five assists. It marks the first time Chandler has scored at least 28 points since April of 2015. Kenneth Faried also had what was easily his best game of the season, notching a double - double - - his second straight - - of 20 points and 15 rebounds. Over his last two games, Faried has totaled 38 points and 29 rebounds. For the Suns, Wednesday's loss was their third in a row and fifth in six games, as it was a struggle for the majority of the team's rotation. While Devin Booker put together a 24 - point performance, the rest of Phoenix's starters scored a combined 23 points. If it was n't for Brandon Knight's heroic 32 - point performance in 27 minutes off the bench, this game could have been even uglier for the Suns. In the end, the game was lost for Phoenix at the free throw line, where they shot an impressive 29 times and managed to convert just 18. Up next, the Nuggets will look to continue their winning ways against the Raptors on Friday, while the Suns will attempt to turn things around Friday against the Pacers.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 7 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 28 Points in 1st quarter ,has 28 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 4 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 9 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 3 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Boston Celtics (34 - 41) defeated the Indiana Pacers (32 - 43) 100 - 87 on Wednesday. Evan Turner turned in his third triple - double of the season in this matchup of two teams knocking on the door of playoff births. He had 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Turner's shot was n't falling, he went 6 - for - 17 from the floor, but obviously found other ways to help lead his team to victory. The Celtics' two - headed center approach had success against the Pacers. The tandem of Tyler Zeller and Kelly Olynyk combined for 38 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in 46 minutes. It was a shock that Olynyk was able to play after receiving an inadvertent elbow in the eye from Shavlik Randolph during shootaround earlier in the day. Olynyk showed true grit, and knocked three of his four shots from beyond the arc. His sight must've been just fine. The Celtics have won two very important games against the Pacers and Charlotte Hornets, the two teams they are battling with in search of reaching one of the final playoff spots. George Hill played a solid game in a losing effort; he scored a game - high 21 points to go along with six assists and six rebounds. He was on fire, hitting nine of his eleven shots from the field. He did n't get much help from his supporting cast, as the Pacers are a little banged up at the moment. C.J. Miles sprained his ankle on Tuesday but was able to score 12 points in 29 minutes on Wednesday. Rodney Stuckey has been dealing with a sore calf as well as a wrist injury he suffered over the weekend. He too was able to play. Stuckey scored 16 points to lead the Indiana bench attack in 20 minutes of play. Much like the Celtics, the Pacers have their eyes on the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat, the two teams that hold the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics will host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, as the Pacers will welcome the Charlotte Hornets to town.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 41 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 34 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 43 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 16 Points in 1st quarter ,has 32 Wins ."]

The New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics, 117 - 106, at TD Garden on Wednesday. The Celtics were expected to win this game easily against a shorthanded Knicks team, but they were dominated in this shocking result. The rebounding was the glaring difference, with New York winning that battle, 57 - 33. The bench production was a major part of that, with the Knicks bench outrebounding the Celtics bench, 35 - 8. Shooting was also decisive, with the Knicks shooting 51 percent from the field, while the Celtics failed to crack 39 percent shooting. The Knicks (19 - 24) had to play this game without Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah, but prevailed with an impressive road win. Derrick Rose had a vintage performance, tallying 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Willy Hernangomez was huge off the bench, providing 17 points and 11 rebounds. Courtney Lee collected nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists off the bench as well. Mindaugas Kuzminskas got the start for Porzingis and accrued 17 points and six rebounds. New York will play again on Thursday against the Washington Wizards. The Celtics (26 - 16) had won 13 of 16 games headed into this matchup, but this was simply a game where they did n't have it. Isaiah Thomas kept Boston hanging around, as he dropped a game - high 39 points, while adding three rebounds and two assists. Al Horford did hand out 10 assists and grab seven boards, but he scored just five points on 2 - of - 14 from the field. Jae Crowder was second on the team, dropping 21 points and five rebounds. Boston will be off until Saturday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers for their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 33 Rebounds ,has 26 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 57 Rebounds ,has 19 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (43 - 25) are hitting their stride at the right time, winning for the ninth time in 11 games in their defeat of the Boston Celtics (30 - 38), 101 - 89. Marcus Smart was assessed a flagrant foul 2 and ejected for punching Matt Bonner. He's subject to additional discipline for striking Bonner in the groin area. Kawhi Leonard will not stop pilfering unsuspecting offensive players, adding three steals to keep his yearly average at 2 per game, tied with Russell Westbrook for most in the league. Aron Baynes returned to the rotation after missing two games with a rib contusion. He chipped in four points and five rebounds as a reserve. Tim Duncan was rested the final 17 minutes as the Spurs pulled away. He ended with 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in 20 minutes. Even though Danny Green shot 2 - of - 10 from the field, he added 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. He’s the only two players averaging at least one steal, one block, and two three - pointers per game. The Celtics lost their second straight contest, and before the night’s over, they could fall a half game out of the playoff format if the Charlotte Hornets defeat the Sacramento Kings. Jae Crowder replaced Tyler Zeller in the second half starting lineup, accumulating 14 points on 5 - of - 14 shooting in 32 minutes. Before getting tossed, Marcus Smart scored 10 points and notched four assists in 23 minutes. Off the bench, Jonas Jerebko grabbed a team - high 12 rebounds. Brandon Bass and Kelly Olynyk didn’t participate in the fourth quarter with the Spurs up 21 points entering the final period. The Spurs launch a two - game road trip Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday before turning around for another road game.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 25 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 43 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 38 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Charlotte Hornets (47 - 34) defeated the Boston Celtics (47 - 34) 114 - 100 on Monday. Both teams came into the game neck - and - neck for the fifth and sixth seeds in the Eastern Conference, with opportunity to still better or worsen their playoff positioning. The Hornets brought Al Jefferson back into the starting lineup in place of Cody Zeller (chest), and he responded with a vintage performance. However, it was a standout effort from Jeremy Lin in 39 minutes off the bench that sparked Charlotte. The Hornets turned the game around on a massive 31 - 3 run over the final eight minutes of the second quarter, and hung on to secure the tough, late - season road win. The Hornets were led by Lin's 25 points, which he supplemented with seven rebounds, five assists, five steals and a block. Kemba Walker paced the starting five with 18 points, six assists, five rebounds, a steal and a block. Jefferson was next with a 16 - point, 11 - rebound double - double that also included two assists, two steals and a block. Marvin Williams matched Jefferson's point total but could only add a rebound, an assist, a steal and two blocks. Troy Daniels also scored in double digits off the bench, tallying 11 points and a rebound. Charlotte is in third place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division, one game behind the division - leading Atlanta Hawks. They're also slotted in the sixth seed for the moment, and wrap up the season against the Orlando Magic at home on Wednesday. The Celtics were led by a pair of 17 - point efforts from their starting backcourt of Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. The former also supplied four assists, two rebounds and a steal, while the latter registered two rebounds and an assist. No other starter managed double - digit scoring, but the bench saw four players accomplish the feat. The reserves were paced by Evan Turner, who contributed 15 points, seven boards and an assist. Kelly Olynyk followed with 14 points, 11 rebounds and an assist. R.J. Hunter pitched in with 11 points, three rebounds and a steal, while Marcus Smart compiled 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. Boston remains in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, and still has a hold of the fifth seed for the moment. They close out their season on Wednesday night at home against the Miami Heat.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 34 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 47 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 34 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 47 Wins ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (4 - 12) defeated the Utah Jazz (5 - 11) 97 - 82 on Wednesday. Oklahoma City cracked their six - game losing streak with Wednesday's win. Reggie Jackson led the way with a team - high 22 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes. Jeremy Lamb played well off the bench, putting up 21 points in 24 minutes. The Thunder's next game is Friday against the New York Knicks, and it's possible Russell Westbrook (hand) could return for that game. Utah has lost four straight games. They could n't buy a shot from downtown Wednesday as they shot 19 percent from beyond the arc. Gordon Hayward bounced back from his six - point performance Monday to score a game - high 24 points against the Thunder. Joe Ingles played 25 minutes off the bench but failed to score and only took two shots. The Jazz will return home to begin a four - game homestand that kicks off against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 12 Percentage of 3 points ,has 97 Losses ,has 4 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 19 Percentage of 3 points ,has 11 Losses ,has 82 Total points ,has 5 Wins ."]

Miami had a tough task here without three of their best players and it was evident they grew tired in the second half. In fact, they were outscored, 27 - 15 in the third quarter and scored just 32 points in the second half in total. Detroit let their presence be felt in the paint, as they won the rebounding battle, 48 - 34, and the points in the paint differential, 42 - 26. Reggie Jackson led the Pistons in scoring, as he dropped 27 points on 10 - of - 17 shooting. Andre Drummond recorded a double - double, totaling 25 points and 18 rebounds. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope capped off the starters with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Miami's top scorer came off the bench, as James Johnson accrued 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Josh Richardson played the majority of the point guard minutes, tallying 14 points and eight assists.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 34 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 27 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 48 Rebounds ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 109 - 107, at AT & T Center on Tuesday. The Spurs were expected to win this game easily, but Milwaukee fought back for a huge road win. The Bucks really turned it on in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Spurs, 26 - 18. The offense was extremely efficient, as Milwaukee shot 52 percent from the field, while recording 32 assists. San Antonio actually led for over 42 minutes of this game, as the Bucks never led by more than four points. Scoring down low was huge for Milwaukee as well, as they outscored San Antonio, 52 - 38 in the paint. Milwaukee (19 - 18) was a big underdog headed into this game and with Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving early because of a lingering illness, a win seemed nearly impossible. Michael Beasley stepped up big time though, as he led the team with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks off the bench. Jabari Parker led the starters, tallying 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Malcolm Brogdon got another start at point guard and accumulated 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. Antetokounmpo went scoreless in nine minutes of action. San Antonio (30 - 8) has been dominant this season, but losses like this simply do n't make sense. Kawhi Leonard did all he could to keep the Spurs in this game, as he led the team with 30 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks on 10 - of - 16 shooting. Tony Parker, Jonathan Simmons and Danny Green all finished with 14 points apiece, while Parker added seven dimes to his tally. Pau Gasol scored just six points, but he provided 11 rebounds and four assists in the defeat.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 8 Number of team assists ,has 107 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ,has 18 Total points ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 32 Number of team assists ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 26 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 19 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 112 - 105, at Spectrum Center on Friday night. The Cavaliers (47 - 24) have been flirting with losing their hold on the Eastern Conference's top seed and entered Friday's contest just one game ahead of the Boston Celtics. LeBron James had called out himself and his teammates out after their latest loss, which came at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. That made Friday's contest particularly important, and the Cavs responded like the defending champions they are. James spearheaded the charge with 32 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were excellent in supporting roles as well, combining for 41 points in their own right, and Cleveland shot an excellent 55 percent from the field overall. Irving followed James with 26 points, seven assists, a rebound and four steals. Love posted a 15 - point, 12 - rebound double - double that also included four assists. J.R. Smith tallied nine points and two rebounds, while Tristan Thompson provided eight points and seven boards. Kyle Korver led the second unit with eight points over 20 minutes. Kemba Walker went toe - to - toe with Irving and posted 28 points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block while leading the Hornets (32 - 40). Marco Belinelli was next with a bench - leading 22 points, which he supplemented with three rebounds and two assists. Nicolas Batum totaled 19 points, two boards, two assists and three steals. Cody Zeller posted a 15 - point, 11 - rebound double - double that also included three assists and two blocks. Marvin Williams accomplished the feat as well, managing 11 points, 11 boards, two assists, a steal and a block. The Cavaliers remain home to tangle with the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, while the Hornets remain home to face the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 105 Losses ,has 32 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 55 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 47 Wins ."]

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the host Atlanta Hawks, 107 - 92, at Philips Arena on Sunday. Atlanta were expected to win this game easily, but when you're struggling, nothing is given. Brooklyn's defense really ratcheted up the intensity, holding the Hawks to 35 percent shooting from the field and 19 percent shooting from three - point range. In addition, Brooklyn recorded 13 steals and seven blocks, while forcing 20 turnovers from the Hawks. It was a dominating performance, with the Nets leading for the final three quarters, while holding a double - digit lead for over half of the game. Bench production was a huge factor as well, with Brooklyn winning that battle, 46 - 5. The Nets (16 - 57) have now won three of their last four games, as that marks one of their best stretches of the season. Brook Lopez led the way, as he tallied 23 points and seven rebounds. Jeremy Lin was n't far behind, accruing 19 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson recorded a double - double, totaling 11 points and 13 rebounds. Spencer Dinwiddie was a nice spark off the bench, providing 10 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals. Brooklyn will look to keep rolling on Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks (37 - 36) have now lost seven - straight games, as this is one of the worst defeats of the year, Dennis Schroder did all he could for Atlanta, as he led the team with 24 points, three rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Dwight Howard amassed 19 points and 16 rebounds. Taurean Prince started for Paul Millsap (knee) and accumulated 17 points, six rebounds and three steals. Ersan Ilyasova went just 3 - of - 14 from the field, but still contributed nine points and 18 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. The Hawks will look to get out of this slide on Tuesday in a home matchup versus the struggling Phoenix Suns.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 19 Percentage of 3 points ,has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 36 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 24 Points in 4th quarter ,has 20 Turnovers ,has 37 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 57 Percentage of 3 points ,has 107 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Losses ."]

The Magic really struggled offensively, shooting 33 percent from the field, and only tallying 13 assists in contrast to 12 turnovers. Only two players were able to hit double digits; D.J. Augustin with 19 points in 24 minutes off the bench and Evan Fournier who led they way with 21 points on 7 - of - 16 shooting, in 38 minutes. Only two other players scored more than four points. Elfrid Payton finished with only two points, on 1 - of - 5 shooting, in 24 minutes. Aaron Gordon was moved to the bench in favor of Jeff Green. Green finished with four points in 23 minutes, while Gordon added nine points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks, in 25 minutes. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz in scoring for the fourth game in a row, with 20 points on 6 - of - 17 shooting and neared a triple - double with 10 rebounds and eight assists. Rudy Gobert had a nice 13 - point and 13 - rebound double - double with three blocks.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 13 Number of team assists ,has 33 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Turnovers ."]

The host Detroit Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 98 - 83 at Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday. Detroit (2 - 1) put a defensive emphasis on this game and that was clear in the first half result. The Bucks (1 - 2) were held to just 39 points in the first half and trailed by 11 heading into the third quarter. The Pistons held the Bucks to 39 percent shooting from the field and 23 percent from three - point range for the entirety of the game. Detroit also dominated down low, winning the rebounding battle 58 - 40. The Pistons did a nice job in transition, as well, scoring 21 fastbreak points, while holding Milwaukee to just nine. Milwaukee was one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA last season and that became glaringly evident against a frontcourt like the Pistons' in this defeat. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a lone bright spot for the Bucks, tallying 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jabari Parker was second on the team with 13 points to go with six boards. Greg Monroe was the only other Bucks player in double figures, scoring 11 points off the bench. Andre Drummond notched his first 20 - rebound game in this dominating performance. Drummond finished the game with 20 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks in 37 minutes of action. All five starers scored in double - digits for Detroit. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the team with 21, while Tobias Harris chipped in 16 points and five boards. Marcus Morris and Ish Smith provided 11 points each, though both struggled from the field. Both teams return to action on Tuesday, as the Bucks travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans and the Pistons host the New York Knicks.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 1 Percentage of field goals ,has 98 Losses ,has 58 Total points ,has 2 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 2 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 40 Rebounds ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Dallas Mavericks (50 - 32) defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (51 - 31) 114 - 98 on Wednesday. Tyson Chandler led the Mavericks to victory in the final game of the regular season. He dropped 22 points, 15 rebounds and one block in 25 minutes on the Trail Blazers. He got some help from Amar'e Stoudemire, who came off the bench and scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes. Dallas has been locked into the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs for some time now. They'll be taking on the second - seeded Houston Rockets (56 - 26) when they playoffs begin this weekend. It was the usual suspects getting it done for Portland against the Mavericks. Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 36 points, but it was n't enough to get it done on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers will be the number four seed in the Western Conference playoffs, and that was n't going to change regardless of the outcome of this game. Allen Crabbe was the lone starter to play more than 30 minutes and all four bench players who saw the floor played more than 23 minutes. The Blazers will host the fifth seeded Memphis Grizzlies (55 - 27) in the opening round of the playoffs.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 32 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 50 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 31 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 51 Wins ."]

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Toronto Raptors, 94 - 89, at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. The Sixers (14 - 26) have been mocked for some time for the "Trust the Process" slogan that has become associated with their seemingly never - ending string of losing seasons. However, that phrase seems to be carrying a little more weight these days, as Philadelphia, behind emerging star Joel Embiid, is starting to make some noise around the league. The latest team to get an up - close look at their improving squad was the Raptors (28 - 14), which suffered their eighth road loss of the season while seeing Embiid tally 26 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Philadelphia still has plenty of room for improvement despite notching their seventh win in nine games, as they turned the ball over a whopping 22 times. However, they played superb defense, limiting Toronto to 40 and 25 percent success rates from the field and three - point range, respectively. The Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan, who compiled 25 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal. Kyle Lowry, who returned from a one - game absence for rest purposes, posted 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, five steals and a block. Jonas Valanciunas generated a modest 10 points but hauled in 16 rebounds and dished out an assist. However, the remainder of the first unit, DeMarre Carroll (scoreless in 23 minutes) and Pascal Siakam (two points) significantly underwhelmed. The bench helped make up for some of the scoring void with a combined 28 points, led by matching eight - point efforts from Terrence Ross and the debuting Jared Sullinger, who also added three rebounds over his 14 minutes on the court. Ersan Ilyasova was second behind Embiid on the Sixers with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. Robert Covington and T.J. McConnell supplied a pair of 10 - point efforts, with the former adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, and the latter posting eight assists, five rebounds and a steal. Gerald Henderson led the second unit with nine points and two rebounds, while Dario Saric was productive as a reserve as well with eight points, nine rebounds, an assist and two blocks. The Raptors head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Friday night, while the Sixers remain home to await the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening as well.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 94 Percentage of field goals ,has 22 Losses ,has 26 Total points ,has 22 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 14 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 25 Percentage of 3 points ,has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 9 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 28 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Rockets (35 - 15) held on to defeat the Bucks (27 - 23) 117 - 111 in Houston on Friday night. Houston was on fire from downtown, knocking down 15 three - pointers on the night en route to 51 percent shooting as a team. The Rockets jumped out to a 36 - 23 first quarter advantage, and the lead stood at 12 points at the half. While the Bucks would battle back in the second half, the lead never fell below four points. Milwaukee had multiple open looks down the stretch but was simply unable to convert. The loss snapped a season - high five - game winning streak. Houston, which remains without Dwight Howard, was led by 22 points and five assists from James Harden, who hit three three - pointers on the night. Trevor Ariza added 24 points, including six threes, and Donatas Motiejunas finished with 14 points in 26 minutes. Three players scored in double - figures off the bench, led by 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists from Josh Smith. The Bucks also shot it well from the field, converting at a 50 percent clip. However, they connected on only 4 - of - 17 three - point attempts and attempted just 15 free throws. After scoring a career - best 25 points in Wednesday’s win over the Lakers, Giannis Antetokounmpo set a new career high with 27 points to go with 15 rebounds and four assists. Antetokounmpo was 11 - of - 16 from the floor and 5 - of - 6 from the line. John Henson and Brandon Knight added 12 points apiece for Milwaukee, and Knight also chipped in 11 assists. The bench unit was led by 13 points from both Jorge Gutierrez and Jerryd Bayless, while O.J. Mayo finished with 11 to go with a pair of assists. The Bucks now return home to host the Celtics on Saturday night. Houston remains home and will face the Trail Blazers on Sunday evening.

["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 15 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 36 Points in 1st quarter ,has 35 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 23 Percentage of field goals ,has 111 Losses ,has 23 Total points ,has 27 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Chicago Bulls (25 - 18) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers (30 - 12) 96 - 83 on Saturday. Any potential surge that the Cavs may have expected to receive from a fresh start under new coach Tyronn Lue was absent Saturday night, as the struggling Bulls managed to secure a victory in one of the most difficult arenas for road teams in the NBA. Cleveland entered the contest sporting a 16 - 2 record at Quicken Loans Arena on the season, while Chicago had lost three of their last four. However, the shooting made all of the difference in this one, as the Bulls found their stroke from the field. The Bulls tallied 44 - and - 41 percent success rates from the field and three - point range, respectively, while Cleveland mustered 37 percent and 17 percent figures in those same categories. The visitors also received 22 points from their bench, while the Cavs' reserves could only contribute eight. Pau Gasol led the way for Chicago with a 25 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included six assists, a steal and a block. Jimmy Butler came within a rebound of a double - double of his own, managing 20 points, hauling in nine boards and dishing out an assist. Taj Gibson pitched in with a season - high 15 points, along with eight rebounds, an assist and a pair of blocks. Derrick Rose was the other starter to post double - digit scoring, pouring in 12 points and adding four rebounds, four assists and a block. Nikola Mirotic led the reserves with a 17 - point effort that also included six rebounds, an assist and a steal. With the victory, the Bulls hold on to second place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They face off with the Miami Heat back in Chicago on Monday. LeBron James looked a tad rejuvenated under his new head coach, posting a 26 - point, 13 - rebound double - double that was just an assist shy of his first triple - double of the season. J.R. Smith was next in line with his first double - double of the campaign, scoring 18 points and hauling in 11 boards. He also added an assist and a block. Kevin Love, who had posted six double - doubles of his own in his last seven contests, cooled off a bit with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Kyrie Irving was the fourth member of the starting unit to manage double - digit scoring, collecting 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and a block. Despite the loss, Cleveland remains atop the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They are home again on Monday to face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 17 Percentage of 3 points ,has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 4 Turnovers ,has 30 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 41 Percentage of 3 points ,has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 25 Turnovers ."]

Paul George and Myles Turner co - led the Pacers with 22 points on a combined 18 - of - 34 shooting. Jeff Teague turned in a 16 - point, 11 - assist double - double that also included five rebounds and a steal. Rodney Stuckey helped make up for the absence of Monta Ellis (groin) by pacing the second unit with 14 points. C.J. Miles was also strong in a reserve role with 11 points, and Indiana posted impressive 49 percent and 47 percent success rates from the field and three - point range, respectively. The Hornets were led by a pair of 13 - point efforts from Marvin Williams and Nicolas Batum. Kemba Walker generated a modest 12 points, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist only posted six points but did bring down 10 rebounds. Marco Belinelli paced the second unit with 14 points, but the Hornets shot just 33 percent overall.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 47 Percentage of 3 points ,has 49 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ."]

The Houston Rockets (33 - 14) defeated the Boston Celtics (16 - 29) 93 - 87 on Friday. Donatas Motiejunas stepped his game up in Dwight Howard's absence. Motiejunas had season highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Rockets were in control for most of the game, and at one point led the Celtics by 19 points in the second quarter. However, a nine - point third quarter from the Rockets would give Boston a fighting chance. Marcus Thornton hit a shot to shorten the Houston lead to just three points with 27 seconds remaining. James Harden and Corey Brewer would go on to hit 3 - of - 4 free throws to seal the victory for the Rockets. The Celtics got another lightning - rod performance from Marcus Thornton. He led the bench attack for the second - straight game. Thornton scored 17 points in 23 minutes on Friday, after putting up 15 points in 14 minutes against the Timberwolves on Wednesday. Boston is now 3 - 6 over their last nine games, including three - straight losses at home. The Rockets have now won four straight and will play the Pistons in Detroit on Saturday. The Celtics will host the Miami Heat on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 29 Percentage of 3 points ,has 87 Losses ,has 16 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 27 Percentage of 3 points ,has 14 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 9 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 33 Wins ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the host New Orleans Pelicans 117 - 113 at Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. In a battle between two struggling teams, the team with one win prevailed. The key for Milwaukee was their shooting, as they hit 48 percent of their shots and assisted on 30 of their 44 made baskets. The Bucks bench came up big as well, outscoring the Pelicans bench 35 - 19. Milwaukee also took care of business on the boards, grabbing 50 rebounds to New Orleans' 42. The Bucks (2 - 2) continue to ride Giannis Antetokounmpo at point guard and he continues to succeed, Antetokounmpo finished this win with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, despite dealing with foul trouble all game long. Jabari Parker was second on the team, scoring 21 points on 7 - for - 14 shooting. Tony Snell recorded his first double - double for the Bucks, dropping 14 points and 10 rebounds. Matthew Dellavedova tallied 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists of his own. Greg Monroe continues to come off the bench, as he tallied six points, 11 rebounds and six assists. The Pelicans (0 - 3) have very little aside from Anthony Davis and that showed again here. Davis scored a game - high 35 points, while also providing 15 rebounds, three steals and three blocks in the loss. Tim Frazier continued his good play though, tallying 20 points, nine assists and four steals. Solomon Hill had his best game in a Pelicans uniform, as he dropped 14 points, six rebounds and four assists on 5 - for - 9 shooting. Buddy Hield was the only productive bench player, as he scored 10 points on 4 - for - 10 shooting. The Bucks return to action on Thursday when they host the Indiana Pacers, while the Pelicans travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies on Wednesday for their next matchup.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 113 Number of team assists ,has 42 Percentage of field goals ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 30 Number of team assists ,has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 2 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 2 Rebounds ."]

The Phoenix Suns (30 - 28) defeated the Denver Nuggets (20 - 37) 110 - 96 on Wednesday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The Suns got off to a quick start in this one, out - scoring the Nuggets 35 - 26 right away in the first quarter. They were the superior shooters as well, going 43 percent from the field, while the Nuggets finished at just 38 percent from the floor. Along with the hot start, the Suns out - rebounded the Nuggets 65 - 40, giving them a hefty advantage, while also going a long way in making up for the 21 turnovers they committed. The Suns' backcourt duo of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe were just too much for the Nuggets. Knight finished with a team - high of 19 points (7 - 16 FG, 3 - 8 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and six assists, while Bledsoe posted 18 points (7 - 15 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT), six rebounds and six assists. While he was having a career year with the Bucks, Knight has continued his strong play since being traded to the Suns, averaging 17 points and five assists in the three games since his debut. Bledsoe has also been producing in bunches lately, combining for 39 points and six assists over his last two games. The Suns received a nice contribution off the bench from Gerald Green. In just 21 minutes, he went 5 - for - 12 from the field and 3 - for - 9 from the three - point line to score 15 points, while adding four rebounds and three assists as well. With the departure of Isaiah Thomas, Green has now become the best option for the Suns off the bench. Reaching double figures in points for just the second time in his career, rookie T.J. Warren had 10 points (5 - 8 FG, 0 - 2 FT) and seven rebounds in 19 minutes. Danilo Gallinari has yet to slow down, as he again posted some impressive numbers for the Nuggets. He went 6 - for - 16 from the field and 5 - for - 11 from the three - point line to score 20 points, while also adding seven rebounds as well. Despite averaging 9 points on the season, he's averaged 19 points over his last three games, while he's shot 45 percent or higher from the three - point line in each of those outings. Coming off the bench, Will Barton is another player who continues to play surprisingly well. In 34 minutes, he posted a team - high of 22 points (6 - 9 FG, 3 - 5 3Pt, 7 - 8 FT), to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. In the three games he's played with the Nuggets since coming over from the Trail Blazers, he's averaged 15 points and five rebounds. He failed to get very much playing time with his old team, so he's thriving in his new role. Jeoffrey Lauvergne played in just his third career NBA game Wednesday. The rookie played quite well, going 4 - for - 7 from the field and 1 - for - 1 from the three - point line to score 11 points, while grabbing nine rebounds. It was a new season - high in points for him. Ty Lawson posted 13 points (5 - 12 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and seven assists. The Suns' next game will be at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, while the Nuggets will be at home against the Utah Jazz on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 26 Points in 1st quarter ,has 40 Rebounds ,has 20 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 28 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 35 Points in 1st quarter ,has 65 Rebounds ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Thunder saw yet another big night from league - leading scorer Russell Westbrook on Sunday in Oklahoma City. Westbrook shot 16 - of - 34 from the field for a team - high 42 points, while also leading the team with eight assists. Despite a season - low mark of four rebounds for Westbrook, the Thunder were monstrous on the glass, holding a 56 - 44 advantage. Shooting guard Victor Oladipo and center Steven Adams each pulled down 13 rebounds, while forward Andre Roberson added 11. Portland guard Damian Lillard bounced back from a weak Friday night with a team - high 29 points on Sunday. Lillard shot 9 - of - 22 and added seven rebounds for the Blazers. Fellow guard C.J. McCollum added 19 points and eight rebounds. As a team, Portland was able to knock down ten three - pointers, but shot just 40 percent and recorded only 15 assists on the night.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 56 Number of team assists ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 15 Number of team assists ,has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 44 Rebounds ."]

The Warriors overcame a Kevin Durant injury and 40 - 26 first - quarter deficit to outscore Washington by a 59 - 45 margin over the next two periods. Otto Porter snapped a 108 - 108 tie with 17 seconds remaining by draining a pair of free throws, and Klay Thompson's missed 26 - foot three - point jumper as time expired sealed the Wizards' win. Stephen Curry tallied a team - high 25 points, and Thompson was next with 16. Draymond Green posted a 14 - point, 14 - assist double - double. Shaun Livingston had 14 points of his own, and Zaza Pachulia managed 12 points. Bradley Beal's 25 points paced Washington. Morris was next with 22 points. Bojan Bogdanovic led the bench with 16 points, and Porter supplied 14. Marcin Gortat and John Wall posted matching 12 - point efforts, with the former adding 12 boards and the latter dishing out a game - high 19 assists.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 40 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 26 Points in 1st quarter ."]

Mike Conley scored 13 of his game - high 31 points in the fourth quarter to seal the road win. Memphis also outrebounded Denver by a 49 - 39 margin and outscored their hosts 21 - 13 in second - chance points. Conley supplemented his scoring with five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Marc Gasol totaled 23 points, while Zach Randolph led the bench with 20 points. JaMychal Green had a near double - double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Nuggets starting five all tallied double - digit scoring, led by Danilo Gallinari's 24 points. Gary Harris continued his stretch of strong play with 19 points. Wilson Chandler filled out the stat sheet with 14 points, nine boards, six assists and one steal. Jameer Nelson tallied 12 points, and Nikola Jokic posted a 10 - point, 11 - rebound double - double. Jamal Murray led the second unit with 11 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 39 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 49 Rebounds ."]

The Indiana Pacers (34 - 30) held off the San Antonio Spurs (53 - 10) for the victory Monday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 99 - 91. The Spurs jumped out to a 40 lead, but the Pacers responded with a 14 - 4 run and led for the entirety of the game's final 45 minutes. The Spurs trailed by 11 heading into the fourth quarter and managed to make it close, as a LaMarcus Aldridge inside bucket with 1:55 to go pulled the Spurs within three at 87 - 90. But Indiana shot 5 - 5 from the line and 2 - 3 from the floor down the stretch and managed to close the game. Monta Ellis led all scorers with 26 points as part of an extremely efficient offensive night, as he shot 8 - 13 from the floor, 2 - 4 from three and a perfect 8 - 8 from the free throw line. Paul George added 23 points (7 - 20 FG, 2 - 5 3PT, 7 - 7 FT) and Rodney Stuckey added 12 (3 - 7 FG, 1 - 1 3PT, 5 - 5 FT) in just 19 minutes. Indiana shot a brutal 40 percent on two - point shots but made up for it with a 7 - 16 (44 percent) performance from downtown and a brilliant 28 - 30 (93 percent) shooting night at the free throw line. LaMarcus Aldridge managed a double - double with 23 points (9 - 20 FG, 5 - 5 FT) and 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard tied him for the team lead with 23 points of his own (9 - 23 FG, 1 - 7 3PT, 4 - 6 FT). Patty Mills was the only other player in double figures with 17 points (6 - 13 FG, 3 - 10 3PT). But the Spurs could n't find their shot as a team, as David West (2 - 3 FG) was the only Spur to shoot 50 percent or better and te team finished at just 35 percent from the floor and a horrific 4 - 28 (14 percent) from three. The Spurs continue their road trip Tuesday against the Timberwolves. The Pacers have four days off before they head on the road for a Saturday matchup against the Mavericks.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 30 Percentage of field goals ,has 99 Losses ,has 28 Total points ,has 34 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 14 Percentage of 3 points ,has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 10 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 53 Wins ."]

The Memphis Grizzlies (16 - 14) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (1 - 29) 104 - 90 on Tuesday. The Sixers have accomplished new levels of futility this season for a variety of reasons, and carelessness with the ball has certainly been a primary one. Philadelphia came into Tuesday's contest committing a league - worst 17 turnovers per game, and further cemented that reputation by tallying a whopping 28 of them against the Grizzlies, which lead to 36 points on the opposite end of the floor. While they certainly require drastic improvement in virtually every area, some of the Sixers' most glaring weaknesses directly relate to their fundamentals, with Tuesday's performance serving as a prime example. Memphis received balanced scoring efforts from the majority of their starting five, with four front - line players managing double digit - points. Marc Gasol led the way with a game - high 19 points, and added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block, continuing his recent stretch of particularly strong play. The veteran center also had an interesting matchup against standout rookie Jahlil Okafor, who managed to mostly hold his own against the Memphis big man. Mike Conley contributed his usual solid stat line, managing 18 points, six assists, a rebound and a steal. Matt Barnes posted a second consecutive double - double, collecting 12 points and hauling in 10 boards. Courtney Lee pitched in 15 points of his own, and Zach Randolph enjoyed his best game in the six contests he has come off the bench. The former starter tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal over 25 highly efficient minutes. The Grizzlies improved to 15 - 11 and currently reside in third place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They head to Washington to face the Wizards on Wednesday. Okafor led the way for Philadelphia with 18 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists, while hanging tough against one of the top defensive centers in the league. It was an important performance for the 2015 first - round pick, after having been largely stymied by the Cavaliers' frontcourt on Sunday to the tune of nine points on 3 of 11 shooting. Isaiah Canaan was the only other Sixers starter with double - digit points (15), as the trio of Tony Wroten, Robert Covington and Jerami Grant could only manage modest totals of seven, eight and nine points, respectively. Hollis Thompson came off the bench to post a season - high 16 points to pace the Philadelphia reserves. The Sixers fell to 1 - 29, the worst record in the league. They reside in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division and now head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 29 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 14 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors (25 - 5) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (4 - 26) 126 - 86 on Tuesday. Golden State has won two straight, and Marreese Speights was the man to carry them Tuesday. He scored a game - high 23 points in just 24 minutes in the blowout as both teams extended their bench rotations once the game got out of hand. The Warriors shot 56 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc, decimating a Sixers defense that has found it's way of late and that should n't be looked at as an easy puzzle to crack. Golden State will have a couple days off before hosting the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Philadelphia has lost three straight as they wade through the middle of a seven - game road trip that started in Orlando on Dec. 21. The Sixers gave up a gut - wrenching 43 easy ponts off of 28 turnovers, and even when they did get a shot up, they were n't falling. Philadelphia shot 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc, with starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams shooting just 1 - for - 7 from the field and contributing little else despite playing 38 minutes. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (calf) and Hollis Thompson (illness) sat out the game. Nerlens Noel was questionable coming into the contest with a sprained ankle, but he was able to give it a go and put up eight points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Philadelphia will travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 5 Losses ,has 126 Total points ,has 25 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 30 Percentage of 3 points ,has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 26 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 23 Points in 4th quarter ,has 4 Wins ."]

The Bulls (5 - 3) cruised to a 111 - 88 victory over the 76ers (0 - 7) at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Nikola Mirotic led the way for Chicago, breaking out of a shooting slump to score 20 points (6 - 11 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt, 5 - 7 FT) and collect 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. Pau Gasol nearly posted his third consecutive double - double, but fell a rebound short, finishing with 16 points, nine boards and six blocks. With the loss, the Sixers remain winless this season, and turned in another awful performance on defense. Joakim Noah, who was expected to return to the Bulls starting five Monday, did not play due to soreness in his knee. Mirotic replaced Noah prior to tip - off and took advantage of the opportunity to prove he deserves the starting PF spot. It's unclear if Noah will miss more time, but he's dealt with plenty of injuries throughout his eight - year career. In his third start of the season, Doug McDermott shot 7 - of - 15 from the field and hit from distance three out of six times for 18 points. Philadelphia was also without a key big man, as Nerlens Noel did not play due to a wrist injury and is considered day - to - day. With Noel out, Richaun Holmes made the start, scoring 11 points with three rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes. Jahlil Okafor continued his impressive rookie campaign with 21 points and 15 rebounds for his first career double - double. The Bulls will head back to Chicago for a matchup Friday against the Hornets. Philadelphia will wrap up a three - game homestand Wednesday against the Raptors.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 7 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 0 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 3 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 5 Wins ."]

The Sacramento Kings earned a narrow comeback win against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Point guard Darren Collison tied for the team - high scoring total with 22 points, including the game - winning shot with just 4 seconds remaining. His backcourt partner Ben McLemore added another 22 points, including six three - pointers. Superstar DeMarcus Cousins, however, led the team in just about every statistical category. Cousins scored 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists, but shot just 6 - of - 17. Three-point shooting proved to be the team's bread and butter, as the Kings hit 18 threes on the night. The Hawks, meanwhile, saw strong play from their own starters. Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 28 points and shot 9 - of - 17 from the field. All-Star Paul Millsap added 25 points and six rebounds, while point guard Dennis Schroeder had 20 points and six assists. However, the team had only 11 three - pointers to Sacramento's 18.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 18 Turnovers ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (30) are on a roll, winning 114 - 109 over the Sacramento Kings (1 - 2) notching their third straigh victory. This was a good close game with 10 lead changes. The Cippers had a dominant second quarter, out - scoring the Kings by 11. However it still went down to the wire as Marco Bellinelli brought the Kings within three points with 15 seconds remaining. At the end of the day it was Blake Griffin who led the way for the Clippers yet again. Griffin filled it up with 37 points on 13 - 22 shooting, also grabbing nine rebounds and dishing six assists. Griffin had plenty of help though, Chris Paul added 17 points, six rebounds and a big 11 assists, while DeAndre Jordan brought it big time with 15 points, 18 rebounds and a whopping seven blocks. J.J. Redick scored 23 points on a hot 8 - 9 shooting, 2 - 2 from deep. Griffin, Jordan, Redick and Paul all played big minutes, each over 35. Doc Rivers is relying heavily on these guys and is keeping his bench players to limited roles. Sacramento fielded a balanced attack, with six players scoring in double digits and although they played well, it just was not enough to silence the Clippers. The Kings lacked offensive efficiency shooting only 42 percent from the field, Rudy Gay having a part in that with his 8 - 23 shooting, resulting in 20 points. On the bright side Gay did pull down nine rebounds. Rookie Willie Cauley-Stein had a respectable outing with eight points on 3 - 5 shooting, with nine rebounds, three steals and a block. Rajon Rondo shot well, going 9 - 17 on his way to 21 points to go along with eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, although he is getting some competition for the starting point guard roll from Darren Collison off the bench, who played 35 minutes compared to Rondo's 33, scoring 15 points and dishing six assists. The Kings do not play until Tuesday, when they host Memphis. The Clippers play Monday, at home, versus Phoenix. Both of these should be very good games and will be an exhibition of the deep West.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 114 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 2 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 30 Points in 4th quarter ,has 1 Wins ."]

The Sacramento Kings (18 - 32) defeated the Phoenix Suns (29 - 24) 85 - 83 on Sunday. The Kings went up 2 - 1 on the Suns for the season series with the win, but former Sacramento teammate Isaiah Thomas did everything he could to try and take home the win for the Suns. Thomas started at point guard with Eric Bledsoe away from the team to attend the birth of his child. With one less guard in the rotation, Thomas played 39 minutes and scored 26 points. Only one other player (Goran Dragic) finished in double figures, with the Suns shooting a woeful 36 percent from the field and 18 percent from beyond the arc. Though the Kings shot better than the Suns from the field (45 percent), they also allowed the Suns to stay in the game by coughing up 17 turnovers and giving up 18 easy points off of them. DeMarcus Cousins led the way with a game - high 28 points and 12 rebounds. Ramon Sessions played well in his second straight spot start in place of Darren Collison (hip), putting up 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes. Rudy Gay sat out the game with a sore left foot, allowing Omri Casspi to make a spot start in his place. The Suns and Kings will wrap up their season series in Phoenix on Mar. 25.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 45 Percentage of 3 points ,has 32 Percentage of field goals ,has 85 Losses ,has 18 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 18 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 83 Total points ,has 18 Points in 1st quarter ,has 29 Wins ."]

In a game with eight ties and 13 lead changes, neither of these squads were able to grab a double - digit lead for the entirety of the game. The Warriors won the turnover battle and that's evident through the shot attempts, as Golden State took 95 shots to New Orleans' 82. One strange stat is the fact that the Warriors committed 12 turnovers, while the Pelicans recorded 12 steals. That means Golden State had no turnovers that went out of bounds, thus limiting transition baskets and points off turnovers. Anthony Davis carried the load for the Pelicans once again, tallying 28 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Jrue Holiday had a nice all - around game too, accruing 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in the defeat. Draymond Green recorded his first triple - double of the season, accumulating 12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Stephen Curry led the team with 30 points, while Kevin Durant dropped 27 of his own.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 12 Turnovers ."]

The New York Knicks defeated the host Miami Heat, 114 - 103, at American Airlines Center on Tuesday. These two teams totaled nine ties and 17 lead changes, as there was swing after swing in this tightly contested battle. Defense was key for New York, as they held Miami to 43 percent shooting. The Knicks shot 49 percent on their end and outrebounded the Heat, 53 - 46. New York (12 - 9) has finally been starting to gel over recent weeks and they received some big performances in a big road win. Carmelo Anthony was the player of the game, scoring a game - high 35 points on 13 - of - 27 shooting. Kristaps Porzingis recorded a double - double, totaling 14 points and 12 rebounds. Derrick Rose finished the game with 10 points, two rebounds and three assists before leaving early due to back spasms. Joakim Noah had one of his best games as a Knick, accruing 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action. On deck for New York is a home matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Miami (7 - 14) are starting to play better, but they ran into a hot Knicks bunch that did n't want to lose. Goran Dragic continued his fantastic form, accumulating 29 points, four rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Hassan Whiteside recorded yet another double - double, amassing 24 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. Wayne Ellington was the only other starter in double figures, dropping 14 points. Tyler Johnson did provide 13 points and five rebounds off the bench. Miami will play again on Wednesday, as they travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 46 Rebounds ,has 7 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 49 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 53 Rebounds ,has 12 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors earned their 11th win in a row as they defeated the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 115 - 102 on Saturday night at Oracle Arena. The Timberwolves came out strong on the second night of a back - to - back, leading 33 - 30 after one quarter, however they significantly dropped - off in the second and third quarters where they were out - scored 60 - 40. They fought back in the fourth but it was not enough as Golden State cruised to the win. The Warriors were also on the second night of a back - to - back, and were missing Draymond Green due to an ankle contusion that he suffered the previous night. The Warriors (15 - 2) got their 11th - straight win but saw their franchise - high 30 - assist streak come to an end at 10 - games as they tallied 25 assists on their 45 - made field goals. Stephen Curry finished with a game - high 34 points, while Kevin Durant followed up with 28 and Klay Thompson added 23, to combine for 85 points. Kevon Looney started in place of the injured Draymond Green and finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal, in 18 minutes. The Warriors are now 6 - 1 at home and can improve on that as they look forward to the second game of a five - game home stand on Monday versus the Hawks. After a solid win in Phoenix, the Timberwolves (5 - 11) slipped back into their old ways with a good start and then a lull period in the middle quarters. Karl-Anthony Towns was a good example of that as he scored 12 points in the first quarter and then did not score again until the final four minutes of the third quarter, only to finish the game with 18 points. Zach LaVine led the way offensively for Minnesota, with 31 points, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in 16 points. The Timberwolves have lost four of their last five games and fall to 2 - 7 on the road, however they head back home for two games, beginning with the Jazz on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 2 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 30 Points in 1st quarter ,has 45 Rebounds ,has 15 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 11 Number of team assists ,has 102 Losses ,has 33 Total points ,has 5 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Detroit Pistons defeated the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, 116 - 108, at The Palace Of Auburn Hills on Friday evening. Marcus Morris poured in a career - high 36 points to lead the Pistons to a much - needed victory. It was a close contest the whole way, despite a 24 - 18 first quarter for Detroit, which proved to be the difference maker. The Pistons (23 - 27) won the first, third and fourth quarters, while they were outscored 34 - 29 in the second. They shot 45 percent from the field and 11 - of - 26 from long range, in order to pull off the win. Morris added six rebounds, two assists and one steal to his impressive point total, while Andre Drummond came up large with 12 points, 18 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Jon Leuer added 24 points on 8 - of - 16 shooting, as the second - highest scorer for Detroit. Three other players scored in double digits to round out an all around good team win for the Pistons. They will go on to visit Indiana on Saturday for their second game in as many nights. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves (19 - 31) dropped their second straight game, despite outscoring the Pistons 60 - 36 in the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for Minnesota with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins followed up with 21 points, while Zach LaVine chipped in 20 points. Two other players scored in double digits for the T-Wolves, including Shabazz Muhammad, who continued his strong play with 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench. The Timberwolves will face the second night of a back - to - back, as they play host to the Grizzlies on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 45 Percentage of field goals ,has 27 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 24 Points in 1st quarter ,has 29 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 23 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 31 Percentage of field goals ,has 108 Losses ,has 18 Total points ,has 34 Points in 1st quarter ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 19 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Toronto Raptors (40 - 19) defeated the Utah Jazz (28 - 32) 104 - 94 on Wednesday. A game that was expected to be a grind - it - out defensive battle largely fulfilled that prophecy, with Toronto finally able to pull away on the strength of a pair of standout efforts from their two best players, and an injury to one of their opponent's key pieces. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan both tallied over 30 points, and Jazz shooting guard Rodney Hood exited the game in the second quarter after suffering a blow to the head, further dampening Utah's prospects. Despite Hood's absence for the entire second half, the Jazz battled throughout, and even managed to considerably outperform Toronto from three - point range by a margin of 39 percent to 27 percent. However, they were surprisingly outmuscled down low despite their formidable frontcourt, getting outrebounded 45 - 33 and outscored in the paint by a margin of 56 - 42. Gordon Hayward spearheaded the offensive attack for Utah with 26 points, half of which came in the first quarter. He added six assists, three rebounds and a block. Derrick Favors was next with 15 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a block. Rudy Gobert checked in with 10 points, eight boards, two assists and two steals. Trey Burke and Raul Neto paced the reserves with respective tallies of 11 and 10 points. The former added a rebound, while the latter also posted two rebounds, two assists and two steals. The Jazz sit in third place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division and are currently a game behind the eighth - seeded Houston Rockets. They head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Friday night. Lowry paced the Raptors with 32 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block. DeRozan was right behind him with 31 points and five rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas collected 10 points, hauled in eight boards and recorded a block. Terrence Ross paced the Toronto reserves with 11 points, three rebounds and two steals. Toronto remains atop the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, and possesses the second seed in the conference, two games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They're home again on Friday night for a showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 27 Percentage of 3 points ,has 19 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 45 Points in 1st quarter ,has 40 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 39 Percentage of 3 points ,has 32 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 26 Points in 1st quarter ,has 33 Rebounds ,has 28 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (59 - 10) defeated the Golden State Warriors (62 - 7) 87 - 79 on Saturday. In one of the showcase games of the season, the teams didn’t let up one bit. San Antonio showed what makes them so great, as they dominated defensively against the most potent offense in the NBA, holding them to a season - low 79 points. In fact, they held the Warriors to 14 points in the fourth and under 20 points in three separate quarters. The Warriors were also held below 38 percent shooting for the first time all year. The rebounding was key as well, as they Spurs brought down 53 boards to the Warriors 37. Golden State has been throttling teams, but this was easily their worst offensive performance of the year. No player scored more than 15 points and no player recorded double - digits in rebounds or assists. Steph Curry had a nightmare shooting night, as he went 1 - for - 12 from three - point range and 4 - for - 18 from the field. Klay Thompson also struggled, as he went 1 - for - 7 from long distance, but scored a team - high 15 points. Draymond Green flirted with a triple - double once again, as he accumulated 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Golden State will look to bounce back on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their next game. This extended the Spurs home winning streak to 44 games and it may have been the most impressive win in that span. LaMarcus Aldridge was huge, as he amassed 26 points and 13 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard was also majestic, as he tallied 18 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in the win. Boris Diaw started for Tim Duncan to match the Warriors small - ball and collected 14 points and eight rebounds in a quality performance and brilliant decision from Gregg Popovich. On deck for San Antonio is a matchup against the scorching hot Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 10 Percentage of field goals ,has 87 Losses ,has 53 Total points ,has 59 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 7 Losses ,has 79 Total points ,has 14 Points in 4th quarter ,has 37 Rebounds ,has 62 Wins ."]

The shorthanded Miami Heat (31 - 24) defeated the tired Washington Wizards (25 - 19) 114 - 94 on Saturday. Miami has played without its two best players since the All-Star break and is undefeated in the two games since. This marked Washington's third game in three days and it was obvious the Wizards didn’t have their legs underneath them. The Wizards shot 40 percent from the field, 52 percent from the free - throw line and 14 percent from three - point range. The Heat got off to a 30 - 19 start in the first quarter and never looked back after that. One huge key for Miami was the rebounding, as they brought down 67 boards to the Wizards 45. Playing three games in three days is a rarity is today's NBA, but a cancellation earlier in the season brought up this unfortunate circumstance for the Wizards. Marcin Gortat recorded yet another double - double, as he amassed 14 points and 13 rebounds in the defeat. Bradley Beal led the team with 19 points, as he came off the bench yet again. The Wizards will have some needed time off before their next game, when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. Miami played this game without Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and didn’t miss a beat. Luol Deng played fantastic, as he tallied 27 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in the win. Goran Dragic also played well, accumulating 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Hassan Whiteside made his return from a one - game suspension and put up a ridiculous 25 - point, 22 - rebound line off the bench. Miami's next game will be on Monday when they host the Indiana Pacers.

["TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 24 Percentage of 3 points ,has 114 Percentage of field goals ,has 30 Losses ,has 67 Total points ,has 31 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 14 Percentage of 3 points ,has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 94 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 45 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Detroit Pistons defeated the Phoenix Suns, 112 - 95, at Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday. Detroit was expected to win this game easily, but it took a late run for them to prevail. In fact, the Pistons went on a 35 - 12 run in a 10 - minute span between the third and fourth quarters to overcome a 12 - point deficit and eventually pull away. The game was relatively close up to that point though, as there were nine lead changes, with neither team leading by more than 12 points until the final five minutes. Phoenix really struggled with their shots, as they went just 35 percent from the field, 27 percent from three - point range and 63 percent from the free - throw line. Rebounding was also key for Detroit, as they won that battle, 63 - 47. The Suns (22 - 48) had a tough task here without Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, as they did n't have enough ammunition to match with the Pistons. Tyler Ulis shot just 7 - of - 24 from the field, but still accrued 17 points, three rebounds, 11 assists and three steals. T.J. Warren finished with 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Alan Williams recorded a double - double off the bench, providing 11 points and 12 rebounds. On deck for Phoenix is a road matchup versus the Miami Heat on Tuesday. The Pistons (34 - 36) are in must - win mode every game out and this one was a bit too close for comfort. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the player of the game, as he collected 23 points, three rebounds and eight assists. Andre Drummond was equally as good, accumulating 18 points, 18 rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Marcus Morris amassed 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. Aron Baynes was huge off the bench, totaling 13 points and 17 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. Detroit's next game is a favorable one, as they play the Brooklyn Nets on the road on Tuesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 36 Percentage of 3 points ,has 112 Percentage of field goals ,has 34 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 27 Percentage of 3 points ,has 35 Percentage of field goals ,has 48 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 22 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers (18 - 24) beat the Brooklyn Nets (11 - 29) 117 - 104 on Friday night. In a battle between two struggling teams, both squads played well in a hard fought game. The score is not indicative of the nature of this game, as Portland went on a late run to open up the scoreline. There wasn’t much to differentiate the two teams on the stat sheet aside from the bench play, as the Blazers bench scored 47 points to the Nets 26. The three - point shooting percentages were nearly dead - even, but Portland doubled up the Brooklyn in the amount of makes they converted on. The Trail Blazers also shot over 50 percent from the field and this was the best their offense has looked in quite some time. The Trail Blazers came into this game as a rare road favorite and ended up living up to those expectations. It was tight throughout, but they ended up scoring 34 points in the final quarter to pull away with the much needed win. Damian Lillard was spectacular in this game, as he provided 33 points and 10 assists in the victory. Allen Crabbe, Ed Davis and Meyers Leonard provided some good production off the bench, as they combined for 41 points and 23 rebounds. The bench production has been down all year, so this is a great sign going forward. Portland has a good chance at another road win when they play the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in their next game. It's been a rough year for Brooklyn and the home struggles continued here. They have now lost 11 of 12 in their home building, despite some great performances from some unlikely sources on Friday. Donald Sloan has taken over starting point guard duties recently and he had his game of the season here, as he tallied 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a brilliant game. Brook Lopez also had a good game in just 28 minutes of play, as he scored 25 points to go along with seven boards. All five starters scored in double - figures, but they need more from their bench if they are to have any success this season. The Nets will play the Atlanta Hawks in their next game on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 29 Number of team assists ,has 26 Losses ,has 11 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 26 Number of team assists ,has 24 Losses ,has 34 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 18 Wins ."]

The Wizards (29 - 13) took care of the 76ers (8 - 33) 111 - 76 in Washington, D.C. on Monday afternoon. Playing early in the day as the NBA celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Wizards jumped out to a double - digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The advantage was 23 points at halftime, and Washington continued to pour it on in the second half, even with most of its regulars resting. The Wizards won every quarter and outscored Philadelphia 26 - 18 in the fourth en route to the 35 - point margin of victory. Washington had seven players in double - figures, including all five starters. Marcin Gortat’s 20 points and eight rebounds led the way, while Nene added 12 points and six boards in 18 minutes. John Wall and Brad Beal chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Wall added 10 assists. Otto Porter scored 10 points off the bench, and Kevin Seraphin added 14 to go with nine rebounds. The Wizards turned it over 22 times as a team but were able to compensate with 56 percent shooting and a 53 - 30 rebounding advantage. Philadelphia shot a measly 33 percent from the floor and knocked down only six of its 24 three - point attempts. While Henry Sims (13 points) and Robert Covington (10) turned in solid performances, the rest of the starting five combined for just 21 points on 8 - of - 31 shooting. Michael Carter-Williams, in particular, struggled, scoring just seven points on 2 - of - 13 shooting. The Sixers have now dropped two straight since beating the Pelicans on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 13 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 26 Points in 4th quarter ,has 53 Rebounds ,has 22 Turnovers ,has 29 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 33 Percentage of field goals ,has 33 Losses ,has 76 Total points ,has 18 Points in 4th quarter ,has 30 Rebounds ,has 8 Turnovers ."]

The Philadelphia 76ers (7 - 39) led final three quarters Tuesday to beat the Phoenix Suns (14 - 32) at Wells Fargo Center, 113 - 103. The game was decided at the three - point line, as the 76ers had a 15 - point advantage from downtown thanks to a sharp 11 - 28 shooting night (39 percent). The Suns, meanwhile, managed just 6 of 19 from deep (32 percent) and missed 10 of their first 13 attempts from beyond the arc, by which point it was too late to mount a comeback. Ish Smith scored 20 points and dished a game - high nine assists to spearhead the Philadelphia offense, and Robert Covington sunk five three - pointers to power his 19 - point effort, and Nerlens Noel had a solid all - around night inside, as he scored 14 points on an efficient 5 - of - 7 shooting night, grabbed nine rebounds, and recorded three steals and three blocks. Archie Goodwin led all scorers with 26 points on a strong all - around night for Phoenix, as he grabbed six rebounds, dished six assists, and notched two steals. Alex Len posted a double - double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, but nobody else got going, as just four Suns finished in double figures and nobody besides Goodwin or Len managed more than 12. The 76ers have won two of three and three of their last five, and they'll head on the road for a Wednesday game against the Pistons. The Suns will remain on the road for a Wednesday contest in Cleveland.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 39 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 7 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 32 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 26 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 14 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the host Denver Nuggets, 115 - 113, in an overtime thriller at Pepsi Center on Saturday. Damian Lillard continued his epic start to the season, by hitting a game - winning runner in overtime to defeat the Nuggets. Most of the statistics would indicate a Nuggets win, but that simply was n't the case. Denver dominated at the free - throw line, going 31 - for - 39, while holding Portland to 15 - for - 21. Rebounding was huge as well, as the Nuggets snatched down 61 boards to the Blazers 45. Denver shot under 40 percent from the field and lost the turnover battle 17 - 15 though. The Trail Blazers won despite failing to hit a shot for an eight - minute stretch in the third quarter, allowing Denver to go on a 170 run. Portland (2 - 1) had the tough task of playing an opponent in their home opener and they showed some resiliency at altitude. Damian Lillard carried the load, as he tallied 37 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the win. Despite shooting just 7 - for - 20 in regulation, C.J. McCollum finished strong, totaling 23 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe both scored in double figures off the bench, combining for 23 points, six rebounds and six assists. The Nuggets (1 - 1) went with a full team effort here, as all five starters scored between 12 and 23 points in their loss. Nikola Jokic recorded a double - double, tallying a team - high 23 points, a career - high 17 rebounds and four steals in the defeat. Emmanuel Mudiay provided 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists of his own. Mudiay actually scored 13 of his 21 points in the third quarter. In a revenge game for Will Barton, the Cincinnati product finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Nuggets next game will be on the road, as they play the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The Blazers return to action on Tuesday, hosting the Golden State Warriors.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 1 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 61 Rebounds ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 1 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 45 Rebounds ,has 15 Turnovers ,has 2 Wins ."]

For Portland, Tuesday was a big night, as the team won its fourth game in its last five appearances. Star point guard Damian Lillard led the team with 27 points on 10 - of - 18 shooting from the field. Off the bench, sixth man Allen Crabbe poured in another 21 points to go with five rebounds. Crabbe hit three three - pointers. As a team, the Blazers hit a stellar 11 threes and held a 51 - 42 rebounding advantage, both contributing factors in their blowout win. Charlotte, meanwhile, saw a sub - par night from the field. While the starting backcourt of Kemba Walker and Nic Batum combined for 40 points, the team scored under 100 and shot only 39 percent. In particular, the starting frontcourt struggled, going a combined 5 - of - 17 from the field on the night.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 51 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 42 Rebounds ."]

The Detroit Pistons defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 113 - 96, on Monday at Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons (24 - 28) continued to play the good basketball they've been playing as of late, notching their third win in four games. And they did so with great team basketball, as all five of their starters managed to score in double figures in what was a dominant game for the home team. Andre Drummond was a monster down low, recording yet another double - double of 16 points and 17 rebounds, while Marcus Morris led the way scoring for Detroit, posting 19 points on 9 - of - 16 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds of his own. In the end, eight different Pistons players managed to score in double figures in what was a fairly effortless victory. On the other hand, after a hot start to the new year, the 76ers (18 - 33) are slowing down once again, as they have now lost six of their last seven games following Monday's result, and it appears as though the absence of Joel Embiid (knee) has finally caught up to them. His replacement, Jahlil Okafor, on a night where he was subject to trade rumors, led the way for Philly, scoring 16 points on 7 - of - 11 shooting in 26 minutes. He did, however, manage to grab just four rebounds. Dario Saric was solid off the bench, recording 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, but overall, it was a forgettable night for a 76ers team that shot a brutal 18 percent from behind the arc on 28 attempts. Up next, the Pistons will look to keep up their winning ways Wednesday against the Lakers, while the 76ers will have a matchup Wednesday with the Spurs.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 28 Percentage of 3 points ,has 113 Losses ,has 24 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 18 Percentage of 3 points ,has 33 Losses ,has 96 Total points ,has 18 Wins ."]

The Phoenix Suns (12 - 8) emerged victorious over the Dallas Mavericks (15 - 6) 118 - 106 at the American Airlines Center on Friday. With Isaiah Thomas missing his fifth consecutive game with an ankle issue, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic stepped up to lead the team to victory. Dragic had a season - high 13 assists to go with 28 points, while Bledsoe added 19 points, seven assist and two blocks of his own. Markieff Morris grabbed his fifth double - double of the season, tallying 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Suns had six players score in double digits, with Marcus Morris (11 points), Gerald Green (15), and P.J. Tucker (10) joining, Bledsoe, Dragic and Markieff Morris. Phoenix hit 13 of their 26 three - point attempts on the night, in stark contrast to the 4 - for - 19 Dallas went from deep. Phoenix takes on Houston on Saturday on the road, looking to extend their winning streak to three games. Dirk Nowitzki returned to action for Dallas, but his shot was a little off, hitting only two of his 10 attempts to finish with 10 points and four rebounds. Monta Ellis led all scorers on the night with 33 points, and Tyson Chandler's resurgent season continued, scoring 15 points while pulling down 18 rebounds. Chandler has grabbed 100 rebounds in his last six games. The Mavericks will aim to get another win streak started Sunday, when they take on the impressive Milwaukee Bucks.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 13 Number of team assists ,has 6 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 15 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 8 Number of team assists ,has 118 Losses ,has 13 Total points ,has 12 Turnovers ."]

The Houston Rockets (20 - 19) moved back over .500 for the first time since Dec. 21 with a victory Wednesday night over the Memphis Grizzlies (21 - 19) at FedEx Forum, 107 - 91. Terrence Jones exploded for 10 of his 20 points in a decisive 35 - 22 fourth quarter for the Rockets, his first 20 - point game since doing it twice in a row back on November 13 and 14. The Grizzlies worked their way back from a six - point deficit to begin the fourth quarter to tie it at 80 - 80, but one of Jones's two three - pointers of the period remaining gave the Rockets an 86 - 83 lead with 7:13 remaining, and they would n't relinquish it. Rockets star James Harden led all scorers with 25 points behind four three - pointers and a clean 9 - 10 performance from the free throw line. Dwight Howard's 14 rebounds led all players, and he added 17 points on a sharp 6 - 10 shooting (including a rare perfect 5 - 5 night from the free throw line). The Rockets shot a ludicrous 18 - 35 (51 percent) from the three - point line, too much shooting for the Grizzlies to overcome. Marc Gasol's 20 points on 8 - 15 shooting led the Grizzlies. Tony Allen added 17 points and Courtney Lee scored 16, each on 6 - 12 shooting nights. But the Grizzlies just could n't produce enough offense to stay with Houston's vicious three - point attack, despite a decent night from downtown themselves (7 - 18, 39 percent). The Rockets return home Thursday night to take on Minnesota. Memphis will continue their homestand Friday night against the Pistons.

["TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 39 Number of team assists ,has 19 Percentage of 3 points ,has 91 Losses ,has 20 Total points ,has 22 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 21 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 21 Number of team assists ,has 51 Percentage of 3 points ,has 19 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 21 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 35 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 14 Points in 4th quarter ,has 20 Turnovers ."]

Jimmy Butler scored a career - high 53 points as the Chicago Bulls (23 - 15) came from behind to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers (4 - 37) 115 - 111 in overtime. Butler attempted a season - high 30 shots, making half, and went 21 of 25 from the free - throw line. His tied the highest - scoring performance of the season, matching the 53 points dropped by Golden State's Stephen Curry on Halloween. Butler added 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Since the start of the new year, Butler has taken his game to the next level. The superstar is averaging 31 points per game in January and has also taken on a role as a distributor, averaging 7 assists per game in addition. Aside from Butler, the Bulls struggled on the floor. Starting point guard Derrick Rose sat out with left knee tendinitis, and backup Kirk Hinrich managed just five points and four assists in 32 minutes. Power forward Nikola Mirotic, meanwhile, shot a paltry 2 of 13 from the field. In the end, however, Butler was simply too superb for the Bulls to fall short. For Philadelphia, meanwhile, the loss comes in heartbreaking fashion for a team in desparate need of a win. The Sixers are on track for a historically poor season, as they now sit at 4 - 37 despite leading the Bulls by 24 points midway through the game. Philadelphia was disadvantaged, as sophomore Nerlens Noel was forced to come off the bench due to stomach problems. Noel was still able to put up eight points, six rebounds, and three blocks in 24 minutes of play. Recent addition Ish Smith had a strong outing, posting 24 points and eight assists, while forward Robert Covington came out of a slump to post 25 points. Philadelphia next faces Portland at home on Saturday. Chicago, meanwhile, has a back - to - back, and faces Dallas at home on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 37 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 4 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 15 Losses ,has 115 Total points ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 23 Wins ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers (51 - 20) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (30 - 42) 113 - 104 on Wednesday. The Cavs haven now clinched the Central Division title, but remain in a dogfight for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the Toronto Raptors. With only a 2 - game lead coming in to the night, Cleveland finds itself in a must - win scenario for the time being every time they take the court. Fortunately, they were back at full health Wednesday, with Kevin Love back after a one - game absence due to an illness. The power forward was outstanding in his return, taking advantage of the Bucks' nototriously vulnerable frontcourt to post a 24 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included four assists, a steal and two blocks. Love and LeBron James helped the Cavs overcome some shooting struggles from long - range - - where they only tallied a 29 percent success rate - - to secure the key victory. The Bucks were spearheaded by Giannis Antetokunmpo, who managed 24 points, six assists, six rebounds and a block. Jerryd Bayless followed with 15 points, five rebounds and an assist. Greg Monroe was next with 14 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Jabari Parker checked in with 12 points, three assists, a rebound and four steals. John Henson paced the reserves with 12 points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. The Bucks remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division, and are seven games back of the eighth - seeded Chicago Bulls. They head to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Friday. James' 26 points led the Cavs, and he supplemented the game - high scoring total with eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block. Kyrie Irving contributed 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a steal. J.R. Smith tallied 13 points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal. Timofey Mozgov managed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block. Tristan Thompson paced the bench with a 13 - point, 10 - rebound double - double that also included a pair of blocks. The Cavaliers have clinched the Eastern Conference's Central Division, and are momentarily two games ahead of the second - seeded Raptors, pending the outcome of tonight's Toronto-Boston game. They head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Thursday.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 20 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 51 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 42 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Philadelphia 76ers (14 - 49) defeated the Atlanta Hawks (49 - 13) 92 - 84 on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Atlanta Hawks came into this game on a six - game win streak, while the Sixers had lost four in a row, so it was an extremely surprising result when the Sixers came out with the victory on Saturday. Despite the loss, the Hawks were the superior shooters, going 39 percent from the field and 44 percent from the three - point line, while the Sixers went 37 percent from the floor and just 35 percent from deep. The Sixers did the majority of their work in the second half though, where they out - scored the Hawks 45 - 31, helping push them to the eight - point victory in front of their home crowd. The Sixers were led by a strong bench performance from Hollis Thompson. In 30 minutes, he went 7 - for - 10 from the field and 5 - for - 7 from the three - point line to match a team - high of 19 points, to go along with nine rebounds and four assists as well. Averaging just 8 points per game on the season, it was a nice suprise for the Sixers, especially considering he had n't reached double figures in points for six straight games. Thompson received some help though, as Luc Mbah A Moute posted 19 points (8 - 16 FG, 3 - 7 3Pt) of his own, while adding three rebounds and a steal. He's turned his game up a notch lately, averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds over his last three games. Nerlens Noel was a big factor in the win as well, as he finished with 11 points (4 - 12 FG, 3 - 6 FT), 17 rebounds and five steals. The rebounds were a season - high for him, while he's also been extremely effective on the defensive side of the ball and has posted four or more steals in each of his last three games. Starting at point guard, Isaiah Canaan added 12 points (2 - 13 FG, 2 - 9 3Pt, 6 - 8 FT), five rebounds and eight assists. In the Hawks defense, they did decide to rest three of their starters, including DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver, as they have already locked up a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With those guys out, Jeff Teague put it on himself to do the bulk of the work offensively. In 32 minutes, he finished with a team - high of 17 points (5 - 13 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 6 - 6 FT), while also recording four assists and two steals. He's had a good start to March, averaging 19 points and 4 assists over his last three games, but it was n't enough with the majority of his supporting cast on the sideline. The Hawks also received a solid contribution off their bench though, with Dennis Schroder posting 16 points (6 - 13 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) and six assists. He came in with a season average of 9 points per game on the year, but he's shown a lot of improvement lately and has averaged 16 points and eight assists over his last four games. Both Al Horford and Mike Scott reached double figures as well, adding 12 and 11 points respectively. The Sixers' next game will be at home against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, while the Hawks will be at home against the Sacramento Kings on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 49 Percentage of 3 points ,has 92 Percentage of field goals ,has 14 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 13 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 16 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 49 Wins ."]

The Washington Wizards defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 120 - 101, at Verizon Center on Monday. The Wizards have been one of the best teams in the league over recent weeks and they gave it to the Blazers in this dominating win. In fact, Washington pulled out a wire - to - wire victory, as they took a 37 - 21 lead after the first quarter, with the game never getting within 10 points after that. Three-point shooting was the difference, with the Wizards going 13 - of - 23, while the Blazers hit just 8 - of - 26 from long range. Washington dominated many of the statistics, winning the shooting, rebounding, assisting and turnover differentials. The Trail Blazers (18 - 25) have struggled on defense all season and a 75 - point first half allowed to the Wizards only adds to those troubles. Damian Lillard was the lone bright spot for Portland, as he tallied 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists. C.J. McCollum and Al-Farouq Aminu were second among starters, scoring 12 points a piece. Evan Turner led the bench in scoring, dropping 14 points to go along with his three rebounds. The Trail Blazers will look to play better on Wednesday in a road matchup with the Charlotte Hornets. The Wizards (21 - 19) have been dominant at home this season, as this marks their 17th win at Verizon Center. Bradley Beal scored a game - high 25 points, adding five assists and three steals on 7 - of - 11 shooting. John Wall was n't far behind, as he accumulated 24 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Markieff Morris recorded a double - double, totaling 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. was a nice spark off the bench, accruing 18 points, four rebounds and two assists. Tomas Satoransky recorded a 10 - point, 10 - rebound double - double off the bench as well. Washington will host the Memphis Grizzlies for their next game on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 19 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 37 Points in 1st quarter ,has 21 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 25 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 18 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (26 - 8) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (23 - 12) 107 - 98 on Monday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. After going into the half down two points, the Hawks were able to have a very strong second half, out - scoring the Clippers 63 - 52, therefore allowing them the nine - point victory. The win marks the fifth straight for Atlanta. While both teams shot similar percentages from the field, the biggest difference may have came in the turnover category, as the Hawks forced the Clippers into 21, while only committing 12 of their own. The Hawks were led by the duo of Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague. Millsap finished with a team - high of 23 points (8 - 16 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 6 - 7 FT), while also adding eight rebounds. He's now combined for 50 points over his last two games, so he continues to ride the hot hand. Teague on the other hand went 6 - for - 13 from the field and 3 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 20 points, while also adding nine assists and four steals. Like Millsap, he's also had a hot hand of late and is averaging 23 points over his last five games. The four steals marked a season - high for him as well. Al Horford had a strong showing, posting 16 points (7 - 15 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and five rebounds, while DeMarre Carroll got hot from the field and finished with an efficient 17 points (6 - 8 FG, 3 - 4 3Pt, 2 - 6 FT). The Clippers were led by an impressive performance from Blake Griffin, who neared a triple - double with 26 points (6 - 17 FG), 10 rebounds and six assists. He forced his way to the free throw line 18 times, and converted on 14 - of - 18. He's now averaging 22 points and 8 rebounds on the season. DeAndre Jordan was able to to notch a double - double and went a perfect 7 - of - 7 from the field to score 15 points and grab 16 rebounds. It was his thirteenth game in a row with 10 or more rebounds. Chris Paul had a double - double of his own, as he recorded 10 points (4 - 9 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and 10 assists. It was his second double - double in a row, despite not coming near is season scoring average. J.J. Reddick was another top scorer, as he had 14 points (5 - 9 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT) in 35 minutes. While their scoring was spread even throughout the team, they did n't play enough defense in order to get the victory. The Hawks' next game will be at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, while the Clippers will play the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 12 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 26 Points in 1st quarter ,has 21 Turnovers ,has 23 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 8 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ,has 12 Turnovers ,has 26 Wins ."]

The Houston Rockets (27 - 11) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (16 - 22) 113 - 99 on Monday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Rockets had a strong start to this game, out - scoring the Nets 37 - 28 in the first quarter. Along with the strong start, the Rockets also secured an advantage from the three - point line, finishing at 40 percent from beyond the arc, while the Nets shot a meager 24 percent from deep. As has been the case time and again this season, James Harden took the lead for the Rockets. He went 9 - for - 13 from the field and 4 - for - 7 from the three - point line to score a game - high of 30 points, while also adding six assists. He's combined for 60 points and 11 assists over his last two outings, as he's had the hot hand lately. Continuing to start at the power forward position, Donatas Motiejunas also had an impressive night with his shot. He went 8 - for - 11 from the floor and 1 - for - 1 from beyond the arc to score 18 points, while adding 11 rebounds to go with. It was his second double - double in a row and fourth of the season thus far. Josh Smith provided a decent contribution off the bench with 13 points (5 - 15 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT), six rebounds and two blocked shots in 27 minutes. Both Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley reached double figures in points as well with 12 and 11 points respectively. While they may have suffered the loss, the Nets saw another very impressive outing from starting center Mason Plumlee. Plumlee was extremely efficient in this game, going 10 - for - 11 from the field and 4 - for - 4 from the free throw line to score 24 points, while also recording 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. The 24 points were a season - high for him, while the double - double was his third in the last four games. Jarrett Jack continued to start at point guard with Deron Williams sidelined indefinitely. Jack scored 13 points (6 - 16 FG, 0 - 4 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and handed out six assists in 38 minutes. Over his last five games he's averaging 13 points and 8 assists, even with a five point performance against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. Coming off the bench, Brook Lopez went 5 - for - 8 from the field for 12 points in 23 minutes. Kevin Garnett played only four minutes, as he was ejected after a scuffle with Dwight Howard under the basket. The Rockets' next game will be on the road against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, while the Nets will be at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 24 Percentage of 3 points ,has 22 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 28 Points in 1st quarter ,has 16 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 11 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 37 Points in 1st quarter ,has 27 Wins ."]

The Dallas Mavericks (42 - 25) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (42 - 24), 129 - 99, to tighten the race at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff standings. Chris Paul was assessed a flagrant foul 1 after whacking J.J. Barea across the head on a layup attempt. For just the second time post - All - Star break, Dirk Nowitzki converted more than half his shots in scoring a game - high 22 points. The Mavericks hit an impressive 15 three - pointers to claim half a half game lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the sixth seed. Tyson Chandler managed his first double - double since February 20th, compiling 14 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes. Charlie Villanueva continued his rampage against the Clippers, scoring 19 points after notching a season - high 26 against them in January. DeAndre Jordan hit the first three - pointer of his career, the lone Clippers' highlight in the blowout loss. The 30 - point loss won’t help Jordan’s claim to Defensive Player of the Year. Chris Paul, flagrant foul aside, registered 11 points, seven assists and five steals in 33 minutes. Austin Rivers led all reserves with 24 minutes, posting a team low minus 28 plus/minus. The Mavericks, who don’t have a back - to - back stint the rest of the month, get two days off before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers begin a two - game homestand Sunday against the Houston Rockets.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 25 Losses ,has 129 Total points ,has 42 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 24 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 42 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (33 - 6) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (10 - 28) 106 - 79 on Monday. Brooklyn came into Monday's contest against one of the best teams in the NBA in utter turmoil. Fresh off the firing of head coach Lionel Hollins and the reassignment of GM Billy King on Sunday, interim coach Tony Brown decided there was no better time than the present to roll the dice with some lineup changes. Shane Larkin and Bojan Bogdanovic headed to the bench, giving way to Donald Sloan and Joe Johnson at their respective positions. Meanwhile, Wayne Ellington shifted into Johnson's customary shooting guard spot for the night. Unfortunately for the Nets, the moves amounted to the proverbial rearranging of chairs on the Titanic, with the veteran Johnson being the only one of the three to provide an offensive spark in the blowout loss. Brooklyn also had a difficult time keeping the ball out of the hands of the Spurs' suffocating defense, committing 19 turnovers that led to 30 San Antonio points. The visitors were increasingly dominant as the game wore on, and were led by a performance from LaMarcus Aldridge that was highly reminscent of his glory days in a Trail Blazers uniform. The veteran managed a game - high 25 points, and made it a double - double by hauling in 11 boards. He shot an outstanding 12 of 17 from the field, and also dished out two assists for good measure. Kawhi Leonard was the only other starter to tally double - digit scoring, amassing 17 points, eight rebounds and a steal over an efficient 30 minutes. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were able to play only 22 and 25 minutes, respectively, with each posting modest totals while on the court. The former managed eight points, four rebounds, a pair of assists, a pair of blocks and a steal, while the latter contributed six points, four assists and one theft. Boban Marjanovic (13 points) and Boris Diaw (11 points) paced the San Antonio bench. The Spurs improved to 33 - 6 and remain atop the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They head to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Tuesday. The Nets were led by Brook Lopez's 18 - point effort, which he supplemented with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Despite Brooklyn's numerous difficulties this season, the big man has been the one constant in terms of offensive production. Johnson was right behind Lopez with a 16 - point outing that also included a trio of rebounds. Sloan and Ellington considerably underwhelmed in their starting opportunities, meaning that the Nets got next to nothing from their starting backcourt. Sloan only managed two points, five assists and a block, while Ellington could only pitch in eight points, three rebounds and a pair of steals. Thomas Robinson provided some unexpected production off the bench, registering 10 points, two rebounds and a steal. Brooklyn fell to 10 - 27 and remains in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They now await the Knicks for a Wednesday matchup.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 28 Losses ,has 79 Total points ,has 18 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 18 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 30 Rebounds ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 6 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 33 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (56 - 19) fell to the Detroit Pistons (29 - 45), 105 - 95, on Tuesday at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Both teams got off to torrid starts on the offensive end, with the Pistons opening the game shooting 10 - of - 11 from the floor and the Hawks hitting seven of their first 10 shots. The game remained relatively even through the first three quarters until Detroit began to pull away from Atlanta in the fourth. A 90 Pistons run midway through the fourth gave them a 16 point advantage to effectively put the game away. The Hawks cut into the deficit late, but the Pistons were never in any real danger of losing their lead. Despite the loss, Atlanta took the season series from Detroit 3 - 1. The Hawks opted to not rest their starters for the second game of a back - to - back set Tuesday, at least officially. Four of Atlanta's reserves matched the starters' playing time with 24 minutes on the floor. Al Horford had an excellent night from the floor in his truncated outing, hitting eight of his ten field goal attempts. Dennis Schroder did not travel with the team for Tuesday's game with a toe injury, but an MRI earlier in the day revealed that it's a sprain rather than a break. The Hawks will return to action Saturday when they host the Nets. Detroit bounced back from Sunday's loss to improve to 5 - 1 over its last six games. Andre Drummond had another dominant performance with 22 points and 13 rebounds in 31 minutes of action. John Lucas filled in admirably off the bench with 15 points in 22 minutes after rookie Spencer Dinwiddie, the usual backup point guard, went down with a sprained ankle. The Pistons will finish out their back - to - back set Wednesday in Charlotte before another back - to - back starts Friday in Chicago.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 45 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 29 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 19 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 56 Wins ."]

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Washington Wizards, 107 - 105, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday. An entertaining, high - scoring affair fittingly came down to the buzzer, as Bradley Beal misfired on a 22 - foot three - point jumper that would have sent the Wizards (12 - 15) home winners. With less than a second remaining, it has been Thaddeus Young who'd made a clutch basket for the Pacers (15 - 14) to snap a 105 - 105 deadlock. The game featured a strong first quarter from Washington in which they outscored their hosts by a 36 - 29 margin. However, Indiana roared back to outpace the visitors by a 59 - 43 margin over the second and third periods, before seeing the Wizards make a comeback over the final 12 minutes. Both teams saw their first units come through, as each boasted four double - digit scorers among their respective starting five. Beal led the way for the Wizards with 22 points, three assists and a rebound. However, he was only 3 - of - 11 from behind the arc, with his biggest miss being the aforementioned final attempt of the night. Marcin Gortat delivered a trademark 21 - point, 13 - rebound double - double that also included an assist. John Wall went for 19 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Otto Porter, Jr. had a near double - double of his own with 17 points and nine boards, along with three blocks and a steal. Paul George tallied a game - high 27 points for the Pacers, a haul that he complemented with nine boards, two assists and a steal. Jeff Teague enjoyed a stat - sheet - filling night with 23 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Myles Turner registered 20 points and eight boards, while also recording a game - high five blocks. Young had a modest 12 points, but he did haul in 11 rebounds and drained the biggest shot of the night. He also recorded a pair of assists and two steals. C.J. Miles and Al Jefferson provided their typically solid work off the bench with matching 10 - point efforts. The Wizards remain on the road and next visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday evening, while the Pacers visit the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 14 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 29 Points in 1st quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 15 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 36 Points in 1st quarter ,has 22 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 12 Wins ."]

The Cleveland Cavaliers came out strong on the second night of a back - to - back to defeat the Charlotte Hornets, 116 - 105, at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday evening. LeBron James absolutely dominated the game as he broke - out for 44 points, along with 10 rebounds and nine assists, in 42 minutes. It marks the 73rd time in his career that James has scored more than 40 points. Meanwhile, the Cavs earned their fourth straight win, and snapped the Hornet's three - game win streak. The Cavs (17 - 5) got out to a strong start and led 67 - 52 at halftime. They tallied 19 assists in the first half alone, and finished the game with 25. Cleveland shot a blazing 58 percent from the field and 42 percent from long range, while LeBron James, Iman Shumpert and Kyrie Irving combined to go 11 - of - 19 from downtown. The Cavs are 11 - 2 at home and will look to add to their win streak as they play host to the Grizzlies on Tuesday. Hornets (14 - 10) will hope for the best as Kemba Walker left the game with about three minutes left in the fourth after suffering a left knee contusion. Walker was the high - point man for Charlotte with 24 points, in 30 minutes. Cody Zeller followed up with 17 points and nine rebounds. The Hornets did well to force 18 turnovers from the Cavs but still gave up 14 of their own. They will look to get back on track as they face the second game of a five - game road trip, on Monday in Indiana.

["TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 42 Percentage of 3 points ,has 116 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 10 Percentage of 3 points ,has 105 Losses ,has 24 Total points ,has 14 Points in 4th quarter ,has 14 Turnovers ."]

The Orlando Magic (32 - 43) defeated the Indiana Pacers (39 - 36) 114 - 94 on Thursday. The contest featured the long - awaited return of Magic center Nikola Vucevic, who had missed all but three games during March with a groin injury. The standout big man came off the bench in his first game back but provided a starter's stat line, compiling 24 points, six rebounds, an assist and a block to lead the Orlando reserves and also serve as the second - highest scorer on the team. Vucevic's remarkable outing helped offset a dominant night from Paul George and secure the road victory for the Magic. Orlando was led by a standout effort from Evan Fournier, who contributed 25 points, an assist and two steals. Victor Oladipo was next among the starters with 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. Elfrid Payton followed with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Dewayne Dedmon (eight points, six rebounds and an assist) and Aaron Gordon (six points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block) both turned in rather modest efforts. Besides Vucevic's impressive outing off the bench, Andrew Nicholson also played well in a reserve role, totaling 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and a block. The Magic remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Friday. George's stellar performance consisted of a game - high 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five steals. Monta Ellis was the only other Indiana starter with double - digit scoring, supplying 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a block. Myles Turner (eight points, eight rebounds two assists and a block) and Ian Mahinmi (six points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block) filled out the stat sheet despite not providing spectacular numbers in any one category. Lavoy Allen paced the reserves with a double - double that featured 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. The Pacers remain in third place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division, and are currently slotted in the eighth seed in the conference as well. They head to Philadelphia to face the Sixers on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 36 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 39 Points in 2nd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 43 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 25 Points in 4th quarter ,has 32 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors (41 - 9) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (12 - 41) 89 - 84 on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Both teams seemed to struggle shooting the ball in this one. The Warriors went just 40 percent from the field and 24 percent from the three - point line, while the Sixers finished at 42 percent from the floor and 29 percent from beyond the arc. While the Sixers may have ended with higher shooting percentages, they turned the ball over a ridiculous 27 times, which would be hard for any team to come back from and have any chance at a victory. Stephen Curry did most of the damage for the Warriors, recording 20 points (7 - 20 FG, 3 - 12 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT), six assists and three steals. While this kind of offensive output is expected out of Curry, he also continues to be very consistent defensively, as he's posted two or more steals in nine out of his last ten games. Fellow backcourt superstar Klay Thompson did n't have his best outing, finishing with just 13 points (4 - 14 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT) and three assists. His field goal percentage was under 30 percent for the second straight game, as he's seemingly struggling with his shot. He'll look to get that dialed back in before Wednesday's matchup with the Timberwolves. In a surprise performance off the bench, Leandro Barbosa went 5 - for - 7 from the field and 1 - for - 1 from the three - point line to finish with 16 points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes. He was very efficient with his time and could be in line for more minutes going forward. The Sixers had all five starters reach double figures in this game, although their bench did n't find as much success and combined for just 19 points. Leading the team in scoring, Robert Covington finished with 21 points (7 - 15 FG, 4 - 10 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT), to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. With Michael Carter-Williams out due to a toe injury, Covington became the go - to guy on the offensive side of the ball and did everything he could to keep the Sixers alive. Luc Mbah a Moute came just shy of notching a double - double, posting 13 points (5 - 13 FG, 2 - 4 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT) and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. He's had a strong stretch of three games where he's averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds, both of which are higher than his season averages up until this point. Nerlens Noel chipped in with 11 points (5 - 8 FG, 1 - 2 FT) and seven rebounds, while Tim Frazier replaced Carter-Williams at point guard and had 10 points (4 - 11 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT), six rebounds and seven assists. The Warriors' next game will be on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, while the Sixers will be at home against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 41 Percentage of 3 points ,has 84 Percentage of field goals ,has 12 Losses ." "TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 24 Percentage of 3 points ,has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 9 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 41 Wins ."]

The Portland Trail Blazers overcame a whopping output from OKC's Russell Westbrook on Thursday thanks to stellar play from stars of their own. Portland's Damian Lillard led the team with 33 points while shooting 11 - of - 23, adding four rebounds and five assists. Shooting guard C.J. McCollum added another 18 points. Perhaps the most impressive outing for the Blazers, though, was that of newly - acquired big man Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic shot 7 - of - 10 for 18 points to go along with 12 rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and two steals. The near five - by - five was one of the more impressive performances of Nurkic's young career. For OKC, meanwhile, superstar Russell Westbrook put on a show. Westbrook shot just 12 - of - 36 but went 15 - of - 15 from the line and had six three - pointers en route to a whopping 45 points. He added eight rebounds and four assists.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 33 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Chicago Bulls (19 - 9) defeated the Washington Wizards (19 - 8) 99 - 91 on Tuesday. Chicago has won four straight and seven of their last eight. Everything is looking good for the Bulls right now. They're winning, and they were finally able to play back - to - back games with a fully healthy roster after struggling to have everyone available on the same night most of this season. Derrick Rose returned to action Monday against the Raptors, and in his two games back, he's put up 29 points and 25 points. The early - season rust seems to be breaking off, and if Rose can stay healthy, a great performance on Christmas Day could be on tap for Thursday's game against the Lakers. Washington has lost back - to - back games for just the second time this season. John Wall had his hands full with Rose all night but still finished with 18 points and nine assists. Marcin Gortat pulled down a double - double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, showing up well against the Bulls' army of big men. The competition will get a little easier for the Wizards when they take on the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 8 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 8 Turnovers ,has 19 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 9 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 19 Turnovers ."]

The host Utah Jazz took down the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, 104 - 88. Utah (31 - 19) needed the win to bounce back from losing three of its previous four wins. One of the main issues for the Jazz had been finding offense, and on Wednesday center and defensive anchor Rudy Gobert came through with a surprising amount of scoring potency. Gobert shot 9 - of - 13 from the field and scored 26 points. Newly-minted All-Star Gordon Hayward, meanwhile, came out of a bit of a January slump, scoring a team - high 27 points. Utah's bread and butter as always, however, was its stellar defense. The team held the Bucks to 43 percent from the field and only 88 points while forcing a massive 17 turnovers on the night. The Bucks (21 - 27) probably needed the win even more than the Jazz, as they have now lost nine of their last ten games. On Wednesday, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was as good as absent from the game. The "Greek Freak" shot just 2 - of - 10 for only nine points on the night. Third-year forward Jabari Parker was one of the lone bright spots for the Bucks as they struggled to find offense. Parker scored a team - high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. The Bucks will visit Denver on Friday, while the Jazz will host the Hornets on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 19 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 31 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 27 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 17 Turnovers ,has 21 Wins ."]

The Orlando Magic (27 - 33) comfortably took down the struggling Chicago Bulls (30 - 30) on Wednesday night, winning 102 - 89. Rookie Mario Hezonja played a team - high 37 minutes en route to a career - high 21 points. The Croation wing was taken with the fifth overall pick in the most recent NBA draft, and had arguably the strongest performance of his young career against Chicago. Hezonja hit three three - pointers and pulled down five rebounds while not recording a single turnover in the game. Teammate Nikola Vucevic, however, was the team leader in points scored, recording 24 on the night. Breakout sophomore Aaron Gordon continued his streak of impressive play, notching a 13 - point, 15 - rebound double - double. For the Bulls, the loss is the fourth in a row and puts them a game outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Bulls remain without All-Star Jimmy Butler, and his absence has shown, as the team has now allowed 100 or more points in 15 consecutive games. No Bull scored more than 16 in Orlando, and the team shot just 38 percent on the night. Orlando also established a sizable 51 - 43 advantage on the glass, as Chicago's big men simply could not perform on Wednesday. Chicago's next matchup will come on Saturday, as they host the equally disappointing Houston Rockets. The Magic will host the free - falling Phoenix Suns on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 33 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 27 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 30 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Detroit Pistons (10 - 9) won by a score of 127 - 122 versus the Phoenix Suns (8 - 10) after an over - time thriller at the Palace on Wednesday night. It was a close game the whole way. A perfect 2 - 2 trip to the free throw line by Andre Drummond tied the game up with 14 seconds to go and ultimately sent it to over - time. Reggie Jackson came up big in O.T., scoring eight points in the period, leading the way to victory for the Pistons. Reggie Jackson led the way with a monstrous double - double, consisting of 34 points and 16 assists. Marcus Morris logged a strong double - double with 24 points and 14 rebounds, he also added three assists and two steals. Andre Drummond finished with 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Ersan Ilyasova chipped in 23 points and four assists. The Pistons had four players score more than 20 points, three players with double - doubles and shot over 50 percent from the field as a team. This was the second night of a back - to - back and third game of a six game road trip for Phoenix, who is coming off a loss in Brooklyn on Tuesday night. Six players scored in double digits for the Suns and they dished 28 assists as a team, both signs of a good team game, but it was not enough steal this one from Detroit. Eric Bledsoe filled the stat sheet with 21 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals. Brandon Knight finished with 22 points and four rebounds. Knight and Bledsoe however, shot a combined 16 - 41 from the field, scoring eight baskets each. Such a percentage will likely leave Phoenix winless any night. John Leuer continued his impressive play as of late, contributing 20 points on 8 - 13 shooting, along with six rebounds and five assists. Tyson Chandler sat this one out with a hamstring strain. Next up for the Suns will be a game in Washington on Friday, which will be their fourth game of a six game road trip. Detroit will host Milwaukee on Friday and look to establish dominance over their divisional competitor.

["TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 9 Number of team assists ,has 127 Losses ,has 10 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 28 Number of team assists ,has 122 Losses ."]

The Oklahoma City Thunder (31 - 25) defeated the Denver Nuggets (20 - 35) 119 - 94 on Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The Thunder came out on fire in this game, out - scoring the Nuggets 36 - 18 in the first quarter alone, while eventually finishing the first half with a 67 - 42 lead. Adding to the strong start, the Thunder shot very well in this game, going 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three - point line, while the Nuggets finished at 36 percent from the field and a meager 26 percent from deep. To go along with their superior shooting, the Thunder also had a strong showing on the glass, securing a 60 - 42 rebounding advantage. The Thunder had three players reach the 20 - point plateau. As he's been doing all season long, the Russell Westbrook show continued, as he went 8 - for - 12 from the field and 2 - for - 3 from the three - point line to finish with a team - high of 21 points, while adding eight rebounds and 17 assists in just 27 minutes. He was extremely effective, and could've had some even bigger numbers, if he was n't pulled due to a huge lead. Coming out of the All-Star break, he's picked up right where he left off, recording three double - doubles in a row, a stretch where he's averaged 29 points, 7 rebounds and 12 assists per game. Newly aquired center Enes Kanter played very well in his second game as a member of the Thunder. He posted 20 points (8 - 12 FG, 4 - 6 FT) and 12 rebounds, notching his second double - double in as many games with the Thunder. He's combined for 30 points and 25 rebounds during that span. Nearing a triple - double of his own, Serge Ibaka finished with 20 points (10 - 18 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt), eight rebounds and eight blocked shots in just 26 minutes. Just like Westbrook, he was extremely effective in a limited amount of minutes. Dion Waiters chipped in with 17 points (7 - 15 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) off the bench. The Nuggets struggled to get their offense going, with only three players reaching double figures in points. After sitting out of Friday's game against the Bucks for an undisclosed reason, Ty Lawson moved back into the starting lineup and led the team with 17 points (6 - 12 FG, 0 - 2 3PT, 5 - 5 FT), four assists and three steals in just 23 minutes. This was his first game since February tenth, so it was good to see there was n't much rust despite the lengthy absence. Starting at shooting guard, Danilo Gallinari also did as much as he could to keep the Nuggets alive. He went 5 - for - 11 from the field and 3 - for - 6 from the three - point line to post 16 points in 19 minutes. He shot a brutal 25 percent (3 - 12 FG) from the field in Friday's game against the Bucks, so it was good to seem him have better success with his shot this time around. The only other player in double figures was rookie center Jusuf Nurkic. He recorded 10 points (5 - 13 FG) and seven rebounds, but could n't do it defensively and was n't able to slow down the Thunder's bigs. The Thunder's next game will be at home against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, while the Nuggets will be at home against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Thunder') has 40 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 25 Losses ,has 119 Total points ,has 36 Points in 1st quarter ,has 60 Rebounds ,has 31 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 18 Points in 1st quarter ,has 42 Rebounds ,has 20 Wins ."]

The Utah Jazz (19 - 24) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (11 - 33) 108 - 86 on Friday. After the Nets carried a slight 23 - 22 advantage going into the second period, Utah took over on both sides of the ball and effectively dominated the remainder of the contest. The Jazz shot 57 percent from the field, and almost matched the number from long range, amassing a 56 percent success rate from beyond the arc. They held Brooklyn to 63 points over the last three quarters, including 17 apiece in the second and third periods. The visitors also established a distinct advantage down low, hauling in 40 boards to Brooklyn's 24, and outscoring them in the paint, 54 - 42. As has often been the case during forward Derrick Favors' extended absence, Gordon Hayward spearheaded the Jazz's attack. He posted 21 points, but also set up his teammates with scoring opportunities of their own by dishing out nine assists. The sixth - year pro also added four rebounds and a steal to his stat line. Rodney Hood, who's become a dependable secondary source of production, managed 16 points, five rebounds and an assist. Rudy Gobert did a solid job keeping the offensively proficient Brook Lopez in check, and pitched in with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Raul Neto and Trey Lyles matched Gobert's scoring total, with the former also adding a pair of rebounds and a pair of assists, and the latter hauling in five boards and recording a steal. Trevor Booker led the reserves with a 13 - point, 10 - rebound double - double, while Trey Burke pitched in with 12 points and three rebounds in a reserve role as well. With the win, Utah remains in second place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They head home to face off against the Pistons on Monday. Up against the Stifle Tower, Brook Lopez found himself largely stymied on the night. He registered eight points, three rebounds and a pair of steals in only 19 minutes of action, equaling his lowest allotment of playing time on the season. Bojan Bogdanovic actually led the Nets in scoring off the bench, amassing 14 points and hauling in a rebound. Willie Reed, also a reserve, was the second - leading scorer, collecting 12 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists. Wayne Ellington, who'd struggled offensively since taking over starting two - guard duties, tallied 11 points, a rebound and an assist. Thaddeus Young was the only other starter in double digits, totaling 10 points, two rebounds an an assist. By game's end, the bench had outscored the starting unit, 47 - 39. Despite the loss, Brooklyn holds on to fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They remain home to face the OKC Thunder on Sunday afternoon.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 24 Number of team assists ,has 33 Percentage of 3 points ,has 86 Percentage of field goals ,has 23 Losses ,has 17 Total points ,has 17 Points in 1st quarter ,has 24 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 11 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 56 Number of team assists ,has 57 Percentage of 3 points ,has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 108 Losses ,has 22 Total points ,has 40 Points in 1st quarter ,has 19 Points in 2nd quarter ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (30 - 49) defeated the visiting Los Angeles Lakers (16 - 63) 110 - 102, Friday night at Smoothie King Center. The Lakers road - losing streak was extended to 11 games, as Alexis Ajinca and the Pelicans spoiled Kobe Bryant's last visit to New Orleans. Ajinca recorded career - highs in rebounding and scoring as he led his team to their 21st home win. Ajinca finished with 28 points (12 - 17 FG, 4 - 4 FT) and 15 rebounds, along with two assists, two blocked shots and one steal, in 37 minutes. Toney Douglas was solid as he tallied 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and one steal, in 33 minutes, while Dante Cunningham added 19 points, three assists and one rebound, in 34 minutes. Tim Frazier dished 12 assists, one shy of his career - high, along with seven points, in 26 minutes off the bench. The Pelicans shot 53 percent from the field, 45 percent from long range and assisted on 29 - of - 42 field goals, en route to the win. Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell combined for 58 points, to provide the Lakers with a little bit of a bright spot in what has thus far been a very tough season. Clarkson finished with 26 points (10 - 15 FG, 5 - 8 3Pt, 1 - 2 FT), while Russell added 32 points (9 - 16 FG, 3 - 6 FT, 11 - 13 FT). Kobe chipped in 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal, in 22 minutes. The Lakers shot 42 percent from the field, while assisting on 18 - of - 34 field goals. Next, the Lakers will head to Houston to face the Rockets on Sunday. The Pelicans will be right back in action as they host the Suns on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 53 Percentage of field goals ,has 49 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 30 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Lakers') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 63 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (31 - 24) took down the Chicago Bulls (27 - 25) Wednesday night at the United Center, 113 - 90. The shorthanded Bulls, already playing without Jimmy Butler, lost Taj Gibson to a foot injury in the second half. The lack of depth ccaught up with them, as the Hawks increased their lead from three points at half time to 16 points heading into the fourth quarter behind an explosive 38 - point third period. The Bulls never got it within double - digits in the final quarter. Dennis Schroder came off the bench to score 18 points (6 - 10) to lead the Hawks despite playing just 18 minutes. Jeff Teague's 17 points led starters and he added eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. It was a team effort, as the Hawks recorded a brilliant 25 - to - 12 assist - to - turnover ratio as a team and nailed 13 of their 33 three - point shots (39 percent). Bulls center Pau Gasol led all scorers with 20 points (9 - 16 FG) and added 10 rebounds and five assists. Derrick rose scored 14 but struggled from the field (6 - 18 FG). Doug McDermott was a bright spot, as he came off the bench to score 17 points (6 - 12 FG). The Bulls offense was clunky, as they shot just 44 percent from the field and turned it over 18 times. The Hawks return home next Friday after the break to matchup against the Heat. The Bulls begin their second half next Thursday in Cleveland.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 44 Number of team assists ,has 25 Percentage of 3 points ,has 90 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 27 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 25 Number of team assists ,has 39 Percentage of 3 points ,has 24 Percentage of field goals ,has 113 Losses ,has 25 Total points ,has 38 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 31 Points in 3rd quarter ."]

The Orlando Magic defeated the Chicago Bulls, 98 - 91, at Amway Center on Wednesday evening. The Bulls (31 - 33) were in danger of playing Wednesday's contest without their two most talented players, as Jimmy Butler's (illness) availability suddenly came into question earlier in the day, while Dwyane Wade (thigh) was already ruled out. However, Butler persevered and took the court, posting a team - high 21 points that he supplemented with nine assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. However, with no other player tallying more than 13 points, it was n't quite enough against a Magic (24 - 41) squad that had its starting backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier hitting on all cylinders. Orlando put together an excellent defensive effort as well, limiting the Bulls to 14 points in the fourth quarter and eliciting 16 turnovers from them. Jerian Grant was second on the Bulls with the aforementioned 13 - point total, and he added five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Cristiano Felicio posted a bench - leading 11 points that he supplemented with two rebounds and one assist. Robin Lopez contributed a near double - double of 10 points, nine rebounds, one assist and two blocks. Rajon Rondo (ankle), who had initially been deemed to be a game - time decision, took the floor and supplied eight points, six assists, five rebounds and one block in 28 minutes off the bench. Payton paced the Magic with a spectacular 22 - point, 14 - rebound, 14 - assist triple - double that also included two steals and two blocks. Fournier nearly accomplished a double - double himself with 20 points, nine boards, two assists and two steals. Terrence Ross registered 14 points, three rebounds and one assist. Aaron Gordon went for 13 points, four rebounds and two steals. Jeff Green led the second unit with nine points, five boards, two assists and one steal. The Bulls return home to tangle with the Houston Rockets on Friday night, while the Magic travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Friday evening as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 41 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 24 Points in 4th quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 33 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 14 Points in 4th quarter ,has 16 Turnovers ,has 31 Wins ."]

The Boston Celtics (15 - 13) defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves (11 - 17) 113 - 99 on Monday. 2015 first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns has had an outstanding rookie campaign, with only a few hiccups along the way. Monday, the rookie reached another milestone in his young career, hauling in an outstanding 16 boards and posting his third - highest scoring total of the season with 25 points. Towns and spot starter Gorgui Dieng made for a formidable duo down low, helping Minnesota outscore the Celtics in the paint 56 to 44. However, Minnesota was ultimately done in by a solid shooting night from the home team, who drained 52 percent of their attempts from the field, including an impressive 48 percent of their 25 tries from beyond the arc. The above - average accuracy helped Boston post a 32 - 19 third quarter that blew open what had been a seven - point halftime lead. Dieng got the starting nod in place of the idle Kevin Garnett, and contributed 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal over 30 minutes. Andrew Wiggins pitched in with his fourth outstanding offensive performance over the last five games, pouring in 26 points and adding three rebounds. The 2014 first overall pick now has tallied 23, 23, 32 and tonight's 26 points during that span of contests. The valuable Zach LaVine managed another starting - quality contribution to pace the Minnesota bench, collecting 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal over 26 efficient minutes. The Timberwolves fell to 11 - 17 and currently reside in fourth place in the Western Conference's Northwest Division. They head home to face the Spurs on Wednesday. Boston once again benefited from a balanced scoring effort from their starting five, which on this night was speaheaded by Kelly Olynyk's 19 points and five rebounds. Jae Crowder, much improved on offense in December, posted his second consecutive double - double with 18 points and 10 boards. He also shot a stellar 62 percent (8 for 13) from the field for a second straight game. Avery Bradley tallied 13 points of his own, and David Lee made the most of a starting opportunity in place of Amir Johnson (foot), amassing 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block over just 22 minutes. After back - to - back 38 - and - 29 - point efforts, Isaiah Thomas cooled off with only eight points, but pitched in with 12 assists, his second - highest total in that category this season. Tyler Zeller (14 points) and Jonas Jerebko (12 points) paced the Celtics bench with notable contributions of their own. The Celtics improved to 15 - 13 and remain in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 48 Percentage of 3 points ,has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 13 Losses ,has 113 Total points ,has 32 Points in 1st quarter ,has 15 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 17 Percentage of 3 points ,has 99 Percentage of field goals ,has 26 Losses ,has 19 Total points ,has 11 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Indiana Pacers (18 - 12) snapped the Atlanta Hawks' (20 - 13) six - game win streak with a 93 - 87 victory Monday night in Indiana. This was the first match of the season between these two teams who both find themselves in the tight race for top spots in the East. After a strong first quarter by the Hawks, the Pacers finished the second quarter on a 16 - 4 run, to put themselves up 52 - 40 going into half. The Pacers held strong the rest of the way and came up with an impressive win. C.J. Miles was sidelined with a sore back so Lavoy Allen picked up the start for Indiana. Allen had two points and six rebounds, in 20 minutes. Monta Ellis came up big for the Pacers, with 26 points (10 - 20 FG, 4 - 9 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT), two assists, three rebounds and two steals, in 36 minutes. Ian Mahinmi chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds, in 24 minutes while, Solomon Hill picked up some of the slack in the absence of Miles and finished with a season - high 10 points, three rebounds and two steals, in 25 minutes. The Hawks were not on their A-game as they gave up 13 turnovers, leading to 20 points for Indiana, in the first half alone. They gave up a total of 22 turnovers on the night. Paul Millsap led his team in scoring with 24 points (9 - 17 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT), along with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists, in 38 minutes. Jeff Teague finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, but had six turnovers in 35 minutes. Thabo Sefolosha was efficient off the bench, shooting 6 - 8 from the field, on his way to 14 points. He also contributed seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, in 27 minutes. The Hawks will now move on to Houston, where they will play their second game of a three - game road trip, which will also be the second of a back to back, on Tuesday night. The Pacers will wait until Wednesday to engage in another big Eastern Conference match - up, this time on the road, in Chicago.

["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 12 Losses ,has 93 Total points ,has 18 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 13 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 20 Wins ."]

The Hornets' solid shooting, 64 - 49 run in the middle quarters, and strong defensive effort helped key the home win. The Hawks committed 15 turnovers and shot just 32 percent from long range. Charlotte prevailed by a comfortable margin despite losing the rebounding battle, 45 - 33. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum posted 16 - point efforts to lead the Hornets. Marvin Williams managed 13 points, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (nine points, three assists, two rebounds, three steals) and Cody Zeller (eight points, five rebounds) turned in modest efforts.Frank Kaminsky III led the bench with 14 points. Dennis Schroder's 20 points led Atlanta. Dwight Howard followed with a 13 - point, 10 - rebound double - double. Ersan Ilyasova drew another start for Paul Millsap (knee) and matched Howard's scoring total. Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Thabo Sefolosha provided matching 11 - point efforts. Rookie Taurean Prince's 11 points led the bench.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 33 Percentage of 3 points ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 32 Percentage of 3 points ,has 45 Rebounds ,has 15 Turnovers ."]

Carmel Anthony's baseline jumper over Robert Covington with 0 seconds sealed the win. The Sixers erased an 11 - point deficit in the fourth quarter and had a 109 - 108 lead with nine seconds left after a Jahlil Okafor jumper. New York was outrebounded 50 - 44 but shot 47 percent from the floor. Anthony posted a team - high 37 points, while Derrick Rose managed 18. Lance Thomas and Willy Hernangomez drew starts for Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Joakim Noah (hamstring) and contributed 11 points apiece. Justin Holiday paced the bench with 14 points. Kyle O'Quinn managed nine points, five rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks. Okafor posted a 28 - point, 10 - rebound double - double. Covington was next with 20 and 10 of his own. Dario Saric turned in 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Nik Stauskas led the bench with 14 points.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 47 Percentage of field goals ,has 44 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 50 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Celeveland Cavaliers (1 - 1) defeated the Chicago Bulls (1 - 1) 114 - 108 in overtime Friday. LeBron James was able to get his groove back in the Cavs' second game of the season Friday after putting up a subpar performance in his homecoming game Thursday. James finished with 36 points, eight rebounds, and four steals to lead the way for the Cavs as they secured their first win of the new LeBron James era in Cleveland. Kevin Love posted a second straight double - double, finishing with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while backup big man Tristan Thompson stepped up off the bench and posted a big double - double of his own, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds in 36 minutes. Derrick Rose sprained his left ankle when he came down on Kyrie Irving's foot after a shot attempt. Rose stayed in the game initially but was later removed and never returned to action, instead opting to ice the injury in locker room. It is unclear how severe the injury is at this time, but in an effort to avoid further injury, it would n't be surprising to see the Bulls err on the side of caution and keep Rose out of action until his ankle is back at full strength. Jimmy Butler (thumb) went through shootaround Friday but was not ready to lace up his shoes and get back on the court. Kirk Hinrich started in Butler's absence, and Hinrich's late - game heroics had the game all but locked up before the Cavaliers enjoyed a favorable foul call and a bad defensive foul by second - year player Tony Snellthat allowed them to tie it up and force overtime. The Cavaliers have three days off with their next game not coming until Tuesday at the Moda Center against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bulls will finish off a back - to - back set when they play on the road against the Timberwolves on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 1 Losses ,has 108 Total points ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Cavaliers') has 1 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 1 Wins ."]

The New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers, 118 - 111, at Madison Square Garden on Monday. These are two teams who will likely compete for a playoff spot in the east and this game had a playoff atmosphere to it. New York really turned it on late to pull out the comeback, as they outscored Indiana, 34 - 24 in the fourth quarter. The key for New York was three point - shooting, as they went 13 - of - 23, while holding the Pacers to just 6 - of - 23 from long range. Defensive rebounding was a big advantage for the Knicks as well, winning that battle, 41 - 33. While there were only five ties and six lead changes, neither team led by more than 15 as it was a competitive game throughout. Indiana (15 - 15) have yet to have a winning streak of longer than two games and they were unable to crack that spell again here. Myles Turner continued his good form though, leading the team with 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Thaddeus Young matched that 21 - point total, adding seven rebounds and two steals to his tally. Jeff Teague accumulated 17 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in the defeat. Al Jefferson was a great speak off the bench, dropping 18 points on 8 - of - 11 shooting. The Pacers will host the Boston Celtics on Thursday for their next game. New York (15 - 13) had their first home game in quite some time, so they made fans happy with this crucial win. Carmelo Anthony had a vintage performance, as he tallied 35 points, four rebounds and four assists. Derrick Rose was n't far behind, as he accrued 24 points, four rebounds and six assists. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Joakim Noah had one of his best games as a Knick, recording an 11 - point, 11 - rebound double - double. The Knicks will have another home game on Thursday against the Orlando Magic.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 13 Losses ,has 118 Total points ,has 34 Points in 4th quarter ,has 15 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 15 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 24 Points in 4th quarter ,has 15 Wins ."]

The Utah Jazz (37 - 43) eradicated the Portland Trail Blazer’s (51 - 29) chances of hosting Game 1 in the postseason’s first round with an 111 - 105 win. Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward were given the night off, the second game of a back - to - back set. The Jazz has the fifth best record since trading Enes Kanter, winning two - thirds of their games since the All-Star break. Trevor Booker and Joe Ingles started for Favors and Hayward. Booker shocked the NBA world with a career - high 36 points, nine rebounds, two steals, one block, one assist and four three - pointers in 36 minutes. The Jazz’s first - round rookies offered dissimilar performances. Dante Exum recorded six turnovers in 23 minutes while Rodney Hood scored 21 points and dished out a career - high eight assists in 31 minutes. He’s averaging 20 points on 51 percent shooting the last five games, challenging the Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins for Western Conference Rookie of the Month. Elijah Millsap, Chris Johnson and Bryce Cotton all scored 11 points off the bench, topped by Jeremy Evans’ 12 points to give the Jazz’s reserves 45 points. With the Blazers locked into the four seed as a division winner, they’ve nothing to play for after falling three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and San Antonio Spurs with two games remaining. They were without Arron Afflalo and LaMarcus Aldridge, both suffering injuries in Thursday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. C.J. McCollum and Meyers Leonard started and found success on the offensive end. McCollum reached double - figure points for the seventh straight game, scoring 26 points, grabbing eight rebounds, acquiring three steals, recording three assists and hitting two three - pointers in 40 minutes. Leonard, curator of a 51 percent field goal mark, 42 percent three - point accuracy, and 93 percent free - throw marksmanship, scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds but missed all four three - point tries in 25 minutes. Damian Lillard led the team with 28 points, Nicolas Batum supplemented his 1 - of - 10 shooting night with a team - high eight assists, and Robin Lopez found success against Rudy Gobert by scoring 21 points on 8 - of - 14 from the field. The Jazz get an off day before competing against the Dallas Mavericks. The Portland Trail Blazers begin a two - game homestand against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday to close out the season.

["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 29 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 51 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 43 Losses ,has 111 Total points ,has 37 Wins ."]

The Hornets' 114 points were the most scored against the Spurs this season, and came on the strength of eight players hitting double digits in the scoring column. They also tallied 51 and 55 percent success rates from the field and three - point range, respectively, and saw their second unit score a collective 45 points. Kemba Walker paced Charlotte with 26 points, while Nicolas Batum contributed 13. Frank Kaminsky's 13 points led the reserves. Leonard collected 30 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block to lead San Antonio. Aldridge followed with 23 points, while Danny Green posted a season - best 16 points. Tony Parker totaled a modest 11 points but hit a clutch 23 - foot three - pointer with 22 seconds remaining to extend San Antonio's advantage to 115 - 110. Davis Bertans paced the bench with an 11 - point outing.

["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 55 Percentage of 3 points ,has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 114 Total points ,has 8 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 51 Percentage of 3 points ,has 30 Percentage of field goals ."]

The Utah Jazz defeated the New York Knicks, 114 - 109, at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Jazz (4 - 3) braced themselves for an offensive void when they lost Gordon Hayward to a finger injury in preseason, as he was slated to miss a minimum of six weeks. However, the standout forward beat the recovery timetable by at least two weeks, starting at the three on Sunday for Utah. He looked as if he had n't missed a beat, rattling off a team - high 28 points, along with five rebounds. While he only found the net on six of his 17 field - goal attempts, he impressively drained all 14 of his shots from the free - throw line. His effort spearheaded a highly productive day for the Jazz offense that saw all five members of the first unit hit double - digit scoring and Utah produce a collective 51 percent success rate from the field. George Hill, who's helped pick up a good bit of the offensive slack in Hayward's absence, continued to thrive despite the latter's return to the court, totaling 23 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Rodney Hood was right behind with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors turned in a pair of 13 - point efforts from the frontcourt, with the former also contributing eight rebounds, an assist, three blocks and a steal, and the latter supplying six boards. Joe Johnson, who headed to the bench with Hayward's return, tallied 10 points to pace the bench. The Knicks (2 - 4) were co - led by a pair of 28 - point outputs for Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Anthony also registered nine rebounds and three assists, while Porzingis supplied eight boards, an assist and two blocks. Derrick Rose continued his strong stretch of play to open his tenure in the Big Apple, totaling 18 points, eight assists, four rebounds and a steal. Courtney Lee was the fourth member of the starting five to hit double digits in the scoring column, posting 10 points, six boards and three steals. The Jazz continue their trek through the Northeast with a Monday night visit to Philadelphia to face the Sixers, while the Knicks remain home to tangle with the inter - city rival Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday evening.

["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 4 Percentage of field goals ,has 109 Losses ,has 2 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Jazz') has 51 Percentage of field goals ,has 3 Losses ,has 114 Total points ,has 4 Wins ."]

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 100 - 98, at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Dallas needed this game much more than Phoenix, but Devin Booker and the Suns played spoiler late. In fact, Booker scored the final eight points for Phoenix, as he hit a game - winning jumper at the buzzer to seal the win. There were 14 ties and 16 lead changes in total, with neither team leading by more than seven points. Defense was key for the Suns, as they held the Mavericks to 38 percent shooting, while Phoenix shot 47 percent on their end. Scoring in the paint was a huge factor as well, with the Suns winning that battle, 38 - 20. The Suns (22 - 44) have now won four of their last six games, as they continue to disappoint playoff contenders. Booker was the star, as he scored a game - high 36 points, including that game - winner. He did that damage on 12 - of - 20 shooting, while also bringing down five rebounds. T.J. Warren finished second on the team, totaling 16 points and eight rebounds. Eric Bledsoe accumulated 12 points, two rebounds and six assists. Tyler Ulis and Alan Williams came off the bench to combine for 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks. On deck for Phoenix is a home matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Mavericks (28 - 37) needed this game to stay within one game of the eight - seed in the west, but they allowed a 22 - win Phoenix team to play major spoiler. Dirk Nowitzki did all he could for Dallas, as he amassed 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10 - of - 14 shooting. Harrison Barnes shot just 5 - of - 16 from the field, but matched Nowitzki's 23 points, adding seven rebounds to his tally. Devin Harris was the only bench player in double figures, tallying 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. The Mavericks will return to action on Monday in a road matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 38 Percentage of field goals ,has 37 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 23 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 22 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 28 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 100 Losses ,has 22 Total points ."]

The Houston Rockets (13 - 4) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (10 - 8) 117 - 103 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Saturday. With Dwight Howard (knee), Isaiah Canaan (ankle) and Patrick Beverley (hamstring) missing from action, James Harden lead the injury - ridden core. Harden finished with 34 points (9 - 14 FG, 4 - 5 3Pt, 12 - 13 FT), six boards, eight assists and four steals. The Rockets also had solid contributions from Donatas Motiejunas, who had 20 points (9 - 13 FG, 2 - 3 FT) and Jason Terry with 18 points (7 - 15 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt). Off the bench, rookie forward Kostas Papanikolaou scored an incredibly efficient 12 points (5 - 6 FG, 2 - 2 3PT). For Milwaukee, they were lead by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 17 points (7 - 12 FG, 3 - 3 FT), seven rebounds and two blocks. Antetokounmpo's teammate Jabari Parker had a near double - double performance with 19 points (3 - 7 FG, 13 - 14 FT, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Off the Bucks bench, Ersan Ilyasova helped out with 18 points (7 - 14 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT). The Bucks will travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Tuesday, while the Rockets will head back home to square off against the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

["TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 8 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 10 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 4 Losses ,has 117 Total points ,has 13 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (2 - 2) tied up the series with their 106 - 101 win over the Washington Wizards (2 - 2). Paul Pierce, unable to recreate his Game 3 heroics, missed the game - tying three - pointer with seven seconds remaining. The referees failed to call Kyle Korver for traveling on the ensuing possession, leading to two Paul Millsap free throws. Coach Mike Budenholzer reinserted Paul Millsap into the starting lineup after promoting Pero Antic in Game 3 due to Millsap’s illness. Even though he was limited to 27 minutes with foul trouble, Millsap responded with 19 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals. Jeff Teague had his best game of the Conference Semifinals, notching a team - high 26 points on 20 shots while dishing out eight assists. Al Horford, who was 7 - of - 23 from mid - range the previous three games, sank 6 - of - 11 from that zone in the Game 4 victory and recorded a double - double, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawks' fourth All-Star, Kyle Korver, struggled to get open looks for the second straight game, scoring six points on 2 - of - 4 shooting. Even though he wasn’t able to tie the game late, Paul Pierce scored 22 points and passed Dennis Johnson on the all - time playoff scoring list. Bradley Beal left his mark on the game, scoring a playoff career - high 34 points, recording a team - high seven assists, securing six rebounds, pilfering three steals, blocking a shot and knocking down four three - pointers in a game - high 44 minutes. His effort was much needed with John Wall missing the third straight game because of a fractured hand and wrist. Wall’s absence has been doubly difficult on Marcin Gortat, who played 93 percent of his regular - season minutes with Wall on the court. In Game 4, Gortat was limited to three points on 1 - of - 7 shooting and a team - high eight rebounds in 31 minutes. It was the lowest point total on either side among players with at least five minutes of court time. Game 5 will take place in Atlanta on Wednesday night. It’ll be broadcast on TNT.

["TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 2 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 2 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 2 Wins ."]

The Sacramento Kings (28 - 44) defeated the Phoenix Suns (20 - 52) 116 - 94 on Friday. Usually the Kings let down in games where they are big favorites, but that wasn’t the case on Friday. They really pulled away in the second and third quarters, as they outscored the Suns 64 - 40. The Sacramento defense was key, as they held Phoenix to 37 percent shooting and forced them to commit 22 turnovers. The Suns have been playing better recently, but this was an ugly performance. Brandon Knight was scratched minutes before tip - off and that really hurt them, as he was dealing with a stomach illness. Devin Booker was fantastic though, as he tallied 26 points, five rebounds and four assists. Alex Len scored 14 of his own, while also bringing down seven boards. On deck for the Suns is a matchup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday. The Kings haven’t had many games like this, but it was one of their best performances of the season. Despite playing just three quarters, DeMarcus Cousins scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Willie Cauley-Stein had the best game of his young career, as he scored a career - high 26 points off the bench. Up next for Sacramento is a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

["TeamStat(G,'Kings') has 44 Percentage of field goals ,has 116 Losses ,has 28 Total points ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 52 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 22 Turnovers ,has 20 Wins ."]

The Toronto Raptors (7 - 3) took care of business on Friday night as they defeated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans (1 - 8) by a score of 100 - 81. New Orleans had a quick start and jumped ahead in the first quarter but the Raptors out scored them 83 - 60 the rest of the way. The Pelicans were missing their star Anthony Davis for the second game in a row and simply could not stay consistent leading to another blowout loss. Eric Gordon did his best to step up, scoring 30 points on 11 - 22 shooting. Jrue Holiday contributed 19 points, three assists and two steals and was looking good, shooting 8 - 14 from the field. Alexis Ajinca played well off the bench, with 10 points and nine rebounds. Rookie Ish Smith put up some decent numbers across the board with six points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. No one else scored more than five points for the Pelicans, who are in need of some major help. The Toronto Raptors turned it up after an ugly first quarter and took control of the game resulting in a 19 point win. Young big - man Jonas Valanciunas led the Raptors in scoring with 20 points on top of 10 rebounds and two blocks in only 27 minutes. DeMar DeRozan tallied a double - double as well, with 15 points and 11 assists, along with six rebounds. Kyle Lowry played a very well rounded game, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block. Lowry shot 4 - 8 from deep. DeMarre Carroll did not shoot well at 5 - 14 from the field, but still managed to contribute in many ways with 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Next up for the Raptors is a trip to see former teammate Rudy Gay in Sacramento on Sunday. Sacramento has been somewhat dysfunctional as of late but that is no reason to expect an easy win. As for the Pelicans, they will be visiting New York to play the Knicks on Monday. If Anthony Davis is back, it will be a great match up to watch as he would take on fiery rookie Kristaps Porzingis.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 3 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 7 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 8 Losses ,has 81 Total points ,has 1 Wins ."]

The New Orleans Pelicans (34 - 29) defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (44 - 18) 95 - 89 on Saturday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Coming into this game sitting just one game back from the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final projected playoff seed in the Western Conference standings, the Pelicans pulled off a big win Saturday, bringing themselves to within a half game of the Thunder. Despite being down 50 - 38 at half, the Pelicans took off in the third quarter, out - scoring the Grizzlies 33 - 17 to help set themselves up for the six - point victory in front of their home crowd. The Pelicans were the superior shooters in this game, going 48 percent from the field, while the Grizzlies finished at just 43 percent. The Pelicans were led by the duo of Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans in this one. Evans went 10 - for - 16 from the field and 3 - for - 8 from the three - point line to finish with a team - high of 26 points, to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. He struggled to just 11 points on Friday against the Boston Celtics, so it was good to see him rebound with a big performance. Davis, on the other hand, finished with 23 points (11 - 21 FG, 1 - 1 FT), 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in 40 minutes. After missing five games in a row with a shoulder injury, the Pelicans are loving what they're seeing from their superstar, as he's averaged 30 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in the three games since his return. He's pushed his season averages to 24 points and 10 rebounds on the year. Eric Gordon also played a factor in the win, as he posted 16 points (4 - 6 FG, 3 - 5 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT) and six assists in 35 minutes. He's played well of late as well, combining for 36 points and eight assists over his last two games. For the Grizzlies, Jeff Green did the bulk of the work offensively. He went 8 - for - 18 from the field, but 0 - for - 3 from the three - point line to record 20 points, while adding four rebounds and three assists as well. He had shot less than 30 percent in two out of his last three games coming into Saturday, so it was good to see him get things turned around and have a productive showing from the field in this matchup. Mike Conley also had a strong showing, finishing with 17 points (5 - 9 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT), four rebounds and three assists of his own over 30 minutes. He's been quite inconsistent with his scoring lately, but he was able to put up some decent numbers Saturday. With both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol combining for just 15 points between the two, Beno Udrih was the only other Grizzlies' player in double figures for points. In just 15 minutes off the bench, he posted 11 points (4 - 6 FG, 3 - 3 FT) and four rebounds. With a few of their stars struggling in this one, the Grizzlies just were n't able to overcome the Pelicans' strong play. The Pelicans' next game will be on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, while the Grizzlies will travel to Chicago to play the Bulls on Monday.

["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 29 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 33 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 34 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Grizzlies') has 43 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 17 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 44 Wins ."]

The San Antonio Spurs (21 - 14) outscored the Washington Wizards (22 - 11) 101 - 92 to move to 9 - 1 against Eastern Conference opponents. The Wizards dropped their third straight game on their five - game Western Conference road trip. The two teams will meet again in ten days for the second and final time this season. The Wizards blitzed the Spurs for 35 points in the first quarter but were held to 34 second - half points. Both teams shot below 30 percent from downtown. The Spurs outscored their opponents in the paint, 52 - 32, but were destroyed on fast break points, 20 - 2. Paul Pierce played 17 minutes, sitting both ends of each half. Manu Ginobili slipped into the second - half starting lineup in favor of Marco Belinelli. Cory Joseph continues to start and produce with Tony Parker (hamstring) sidelined, supplying 10 points (8 - 10 FG, 3 - 4 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 33 minutes. Tim Duncan was limited to a season - low four points (2 - 8 FG, 0 - 2 FT) in 31 minutes. The Wizards conclude their five - game Western Conference road trip Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs return to action Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 14 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 21 Points in 1st quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 11 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 35 Points in 1st quarter ,has 22 Wins ."]

The visiting Phoenix Suns took down the host Toronto Raptors on Sunday, 115 - 103. Phoenix (15 - 29) has now won two straight and has seen excellent play from its young backcourt. Sophomore shooting guard Devin Booker followed up 26 points on Saturday with 20 against Toronto, including five three - pointers. Of course, Booker's excellent play was nothing compared to point guard Eric Bledsoe, who dropped 40 points and dished out 13 assists. Bledsoe shot 11 - of - 17 and was a perfect 14 - of - 14 on free - throws. Strong shooting was the story of the night for Phoenix, as the team shot over 50 percent from the field and knocked down almost 93 percent of its free - throws. In addition to strong offensive play, Bledsoe played a role in containing the powerful Toronto backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who shot just 11 - of - 34 on the night. Toronto (28 - 16) was demolished by the Hornets on Friday and was unable to rebound from the loss on Sunday afternoon. In what was a surprising turn, both of Toronto's All-Star guards struggled, as the two normal top scorers made just 11 shots for 34 points. Lowry had a particularly tough performance, shooting just 1 - of - 9 from beyond the arc. The Raptors as a whole struggled from the field about as much as the Suns succeeded, as the team finished shooting under 40 percent on the night. In particular, Toronto went ice cold in the fourth quarter, getting outscored by 15 points in the period. The Raptors will host the Spurs on Tuesday, while the Suns will host the Timberwolves.

["TeamStat(G,'Raptors') has 40 Percentage of field goals ,has 16 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 28 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 29 Percentage of field goals ,has 115 Losses ,has 15 Total points ."]

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 106 - 102, at Staples Center on Monday. The Clippers (22 - 11) came in to the game lacking some serious star power, as the starting backcourt of Chris Paul and J.J. Redick both joined Blake Griffin (knee) on the bench Monday night. That pushed ageless veteran Jamal Crawford and capable reserve Austin Rivers into the starting lineup, with both expected to play heavy minutes. That prognosis proved accurate, and the pair of guards turned in 24 and 19 points, respectively. However, the Nuggets (13 - 18) just had more firepower overall, as the duo of Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari combined for a pair of double - doubles to lead the offensive attack. Gallinari sunk four key free throws in the last 16 seconds of the game to seal the win, Denver's seventh on the road this season. Jokic's 24 - point, 10 - rebound double - double led the way for the visitors, and he supplemented those numbers with four assists and three steals. Gallinari added 23 points, along with 11 rebounds, an assist and three steals. Will Barton chipped in off the bench with 23 points of his own, as well as eight boards and six dimes. Gary Harris contributed a modest 10 points, four rebounds and an assist. Kenneth Faried produced eight points, 10 rebounds, an assist and a steal in 19 minutes. Crawford complemented his aforementioned scoring total with six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Rivers supplied five assists, three rebounds and a steal in addition to his 19 - point tally. DeAndre Jordan tallied a 12 - point, 11 - rebound double - double that also included three steals and a block. Brandon Bass and Raymond Felton registered 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. The Nuggets head back home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday evening, while the Clippers visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night as well.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 11 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 22 Points in 3rd quarter ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 18 Losses ,has 106 Total points ,has 16 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 13 Wins ."]

The Atlanta Hawks (2 - 1) were able to pull out a 97 - 94 home victory over the Charlotte Hornets (0 - 2) on Friday. After a tight first half, the Hawks were able to claim a 14 - point lead with under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but a run of nine unanswered points by the Hornets resulted in an outcome that was too close for comfort. Still, Atlanta was able to make enough stops down the stretch to deny the late rally, as Kemba Walker missed the game - tying attempt from 25 feet to give Atlanta the victory. Though he only scored a combined five points in the team’s first two games, Kent Bazemore was the Hawks’ surprising scoring leader Friday, pouring in 19 points on 7 - for - 13 shooting, including a 4 - for - 5 mark from three - point range. He also tacked on nine rebounds for good measure, a total that was only second to Paul Millsap’s 10 boards for the team lead. Millsap also accrued 18 points, while Al Horford (18), Jeff Teague (14), and Dennis Schroder (14) rounded out the double - digit scorers. Schroder made his first start of the season while Kyle Korver was rested for maintenance purposes in the second game of a back - to - back set. The winless Hornets were foiled by their top two offensive threats suffering from poor shooting nights. Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker both shot 5 - for - 15 from the field to combine for just 23 points between them, while no other scorer on the team exceeded 14 points. Charlotte was at least able to win the battle of the boards, 54 - 45, thanks to double - digit rebound efforts from Marvin Williams (12), Nicolas Batum (11), and Jefferson (11). The two teams will get together for a rematch Sunday, with that game to take place in Atlanta.

["TeamStat(G,'Hawks') has 1 Losses ,has 97 Total points ,has 45 Rebounds ,has 2 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 2 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 54 Rebounds ,has 0 Wins ."]

The Detroit Pistons (11 - 23) defeated the San Antonio Spurs (21 - 15) 105 - 104 on Tuesday at the AT & T Center in San Antonio. Quite unexpectedly, the Pistons were able to keep their winning streak alive and extended it to six games in a row Tuesday. After the Pistons came out of the third quarter leading 82 - 77, the Spurs went on a fourth quarter run, out - scoring the Pistons 27 - 23. It was n't enough though, as the Spurs turned the ball over late when Tony Parker could n't handle an inbound pass from Tim Duncan and in turn Brandon Jennings took advantage, hitting a running bank shot with under a second left in the game to steal the victory. The Pistons had contributions from all over the court with six players reaching double figures in points. Andre Drummond led the charge, finishing with a monster line of 20 points (8 - 10 FG, 4 - 9 FT) and 17 rebounds. It was his second double - double in a row, as he's combined for 35 points and 31 rebounds over his last two outings. Greg Monroe notched a double - double of his own, going for 17 points (7 - 10 FG, 3 - 4 FT) and 11 rebounds. The Pistons' big men had their way in this game, as both were extremely efficient all night long. Along with the game - winning shot, Jennings had 13 points (5 - 18 FG, 1 - 5 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and seven assists. While it was n't his best night shooting, he came in clutch when it mattered, so you ca n't argue with his performance. Coming off the bench, D.J. Augustin had a strong game. He went off for 19 points (8 - 18 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 2 - 3 FT) and five assists, coming one point short of matching a season - high. For the Spurs, Tim Duncan did everything he could to combat the big night of the Pistons big men. Duncan went 7 - for - 12 from the field to score 15 points, while also adding seven rebounds and two blocks. He struggled to only four points in Saturday's game against the Wizards, so it was a nice bounce back outing for him. Having a big night off the bench was Jeff Ayres. Ayres went 5 - for - 8 from the field and 6 - for - 7 from the free throw line to score 16 points in only 16 minutes. It was far and away a season - high for him, after reaching double - digits in points only one other time this season. Tony Parker was able to get the start after missing the last five games with a hamstring injury. He ended up only playing 12 minutes though, and finished with three points and a pair of assists. Both Danny Green (5 - 10 FG, 3 - 5 3Pt) and Marco Belinelli (4 - 8 FG, 2 - 5 3Pt, 2 - 2FT) had strong shooting efforts in this one, finishing with 13 and 12 points respectively. The Pistons' next game will be on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, while the Spurs will be at home against the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 15 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 27 Points in 4th quarter ,has 21 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Pistons') has 23 Losses ,has 105 Total points ,has 23 Points in 4th quarter ,has 11 Wins ."]

The Los Angeles Clippers (26 - 13) defeated the Miami Heat (22 - 17) 104 - 90, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday. The Clippers came into this game on a nine - game winning streak but none of those wins came against a team with a record better than .500. The Heat came in having lost three of their last four and in the midst of a six - game road trip, which put them in a tough spot against the streaking Clippers. Now the Clippers boast a 10 - game win streak, which includes one win against a formidable opponent, while the Heat are 1 - 3 on their road trip and have dropped four of their last five. The Clippers dominated the second half of the game, during which they outscored Miami 59 - 38. DeAndre Jordan sat this one out at the last minute due to illness but Cole Aldrich did a fantastic job filling in at the center position. Aldrich led the team in scoring with 19 points (7 - 14 FG, 5 - 7 FT), along with seven rebounds and three assists, in 24 minutes. Chris Paul finished with a double - double consisting of 15 points (6 - 17 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt) and 12 assists, as well as six rebounds and four steals, in 30 minutes. Paul Pierce chipped in a solid 15 points (6 - 10 FG. 3 - 7 3Pt) and nine rebounds, in 21 minutes The Clips kept the turnovers to a minimun, with eight. Miami gave up a horrid 24 turnovers, a problem which contributed to the Clippers getting 24 more field goal attempts in the game. Gerald Green was solid in 32 minutes off the bench, with 19 points (7 - 14 FG, 4 - 8 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Dwyane Wade finished with 16 points (6 - 10 FG, 4 - 9 FT), eight rebounds and four assists, however he also tallied an awful seven turnovers. Hassan Whiteside played limited minutes due to a sore knee. He finished with a double - double 10 points and 11 rebounds, in 26 minutes off the bench. The Heat will move on to Devner for the fifth game of their current six - game road trip, on Friday. The Clippers will look to extend their win streak when they host the Kings on Saturday.

["TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 13 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 26 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Heat') has 17 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 22 Wins ."]

The Golden State Warriors (67 - 15) defeated the Denver Nuggets (30 - 52) 133 - 126 on Wednesday. The Warriors clinched the Western Conference long ago and at this point were just trying to stay healthy for the playoffs. In a somewhat meaningless game for Golden State, no starter played more than 20 minutes, and no bench players saw the floor for more than 25 minutes. Despite playing just 16 minutes, Klay Thompson managed to lead the Warriors with 25 points on 8 - for - 12 shooting from the field and 5 - for - 7 from downtown. Golden State will take on the New Orleans Pelicans (45 - 37) when the playoffs commence this weekend. The Nuggets ended a second straight disappointing season with a loss to the top - seeded Warriors. Jusuf Nurkic finished an up and down season with 17 points and nine rebounds for Denver, as Kenneth Faried was held out of the regular season finale to rest. With a 30 win season, the Nuggets end 2014 - 2015 as the 12th best team in the Western Conference. They finished 15 wins behind the eighth - seeded New Orleans Pelicans.

["TeamStat(G,'Warriors') has 15 Losses ,has 133 Total points ,has 67 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 52 Losses ,has 126 Total points ,has 30 Wins ."]

The Denver Nuggets (14 - 24) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (17 - 20) 95 - 92 on Sunday night In a game between two struggling teams, it was clear to see why in this game. Both teams really struggled with their strokes in this matchup, as the Nuggets shot 42 percent to Charlotte's 36 percent. The fourth quarter was especially ugly, as the teams combined for 29 points in a display of inefficiency. There's not much to differentiate the teams in the stat sheet and it was as simple as the Nuggets getting out to a double - digit lead early in the fourth quarter and holding on for the win. Charlotte shot 11 - for - 45 in the second half and that ultimately cost them the game as well. The Hornets have now lost eight - straight games and are really struggling on the road with a 4 - 13 record. The good news here is that Nicolas Batum returned from his four - game absence from a toe injury to tally nine points, six rebounds and seven assists in the defeat. The backcourt was terrible for the Hornets tonight, as Batum, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin combined to go 6 - for - 29 from the field while scoring just 22 points. The one bright spot was Jeremy Lamb, who amassed 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench. The Hornets will look to get out of this rut on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Denver needed this win desperately and what makes it even better is that it came at home. This team was just 5 - 11 at the Pepsi Center prior to this win and they need to make that home venue a safe haven if they want to have any success this season. Emmanuel Mudiay returned for this game after dealing with an ankle injury for some time and played an astounding 39 minutes, totaling 11 points, six assists and four rebounds. Danilo Gallinari was the hero though, as he scored 27 points in the win. He is now averaging over 25 points per game over his last six games. The big surprise was a nine - assist performance from Nikola Jokic, who is proving to be a nice asset in the frontcourt for Denver. The Nuggets will look to build off this win in a tough matchup, when they host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday in their next game.

["TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 24 Losses ,has 95 Total points ,has 14 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 36 Percentage of field goals ,has 20 Losses ,has 92 Total points ,has 17 Wins ."]

The Milwaukee Bucks (29 - 38) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (18 - 48) 109 - 100 on Sunday. Despite playing a competitive game through four quarters, the Nets provided a textbook example of how statistics can sometimes be deceiving. They turned in a solid shooting night, tallying 56 and 44 percent success rates from the field and three - point range, respectively. Both figures were superior to those of the Bucks in those categories, but one other area of the stat sheet largely did Brooklyn in Sunday. The Nets committed more than double the turnovers of the visitors, handing the ball over 20 times to the Bucks. The miscues led to 33 points by Milwuakee, which severely undermined Brooklyn's efforts to secure a victory. They also found themselves powerless to stop one of the game's emerging superstars in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who managed his fourth triple - double in the last 11 games. The Greek Freak spearheaded the Bucks attack with a spectacular line of 28 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Jabari Parker was right behind him with 23 points, five rebounds and a steal. Khris Middleton turned in another productive outing and was outstanding on both sides of the floor, compiling 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. Greg Monroe was solid in another start at center, tallying 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. Miles Plumlee paced the reserves with 12 points, seven rebounds and a block. The Bucks remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division, and are 6 games behind the eighth - seeded Detroit Pistons. They head home to face the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. Brooklyn was paced by Brook Lopez, who totaled 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Thaddeus Young put together a 17 - point, 10 - rebound double - double, and added four assists and a steal. Bojan Bogdanovic followed with 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds, but did commit a game - high seven turnovers. Sean Kilpatrick led the bench with 19 points, a rebound and an assist. The Nets remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They're home again on Tuesday night for a showdown with the Philadelphia 76ers.

["TeamStat(G,'Nets') has 44 Percentage of 3 points ,has 56 Percentage of field goals ,has 48 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 20 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 18 Turnovers ." "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 38 Percentage of 3 points ,has 109 Percentage of field goals ,has 28 Losses ,has 29 Total points ."]

The Dallas Mavericks (45 - 27) picked up a huge victory Tuesday with a 101 - 94 win over the San Antonio Spurs (44 - 26) at the American Airlines Center. San Antonio got off to a hot start and took a 29 - 17 lead to end the first quarter, but Dallas battled back. The Mavericks, led by Monta Ellis' 38 points, shot 48 percent from the field as a team and outscored the Spurs 52 - 38 in the paint. Dallas leads the season series 2 - 1, but San Antonio will have a chance to even it on Friday when these teams meet at the AT & T Center. These teams are in a race for the sixth seed in the Western Conference as the Spurs are just percentage points ahead of the Mavericks. The Spurs had their three - game winning streak come to an end Tuesday just days after routing the East's top team, the Hawks, on Sunday. Manu Ginobili returned to action in this game after missing four games with an ankle injury. Ginobili finished with seven points in just 16 minutes as Gregg Popovich is working him back into the rotation. The Spurs have a big matchup with the Thunder on Wednesday before Friday's rematch with the Mavericks. Dallas had lost two straight coming into Tuesday's contest, but got back on track with a very important victory. Monta Ellis' 38 point outing was important to the shooter's psyche after he was a frigid 4 - for - 22 on Sunday against Phoenix. Richard Jefferson was forced from the game with back spasms and did not return to the floor. The Mavericks will look to win the tiebreaker over the Spurs on Friday when they square off in San Antonio.

["TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 48 Percentage of field goals ,has 27 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 17 Points in 1st quarter ,has 45 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 26 Percentage of field goals ,has 94 Losses ,has 29 Total points ,has 44 Points in 1st quarter ."]

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Wednesday. The Suns (1 - 4) grabbed their first win of the season in emphatic fashion against a tough opponent in the Trail Blazers (2 - 3). A neck - and - neck performance from end to end resulted in not one, but two moments that got every Suns fan out of their seats. Eric Bledsoe drove the lane and sank a layup with 0:1 left in regulation to put the Suns up by two points, but Meyers Leonard was the end of a fantastic drawn up play to drop in the buzzer beating equalizer to send the Blazers and Suns to overtime. Phoenix pulled away by six points after T.J. Warren dropped in two free throws with just over :30 left in the overtime period, but the Blazers simply would not go away. After Damian Lillard drove the lane for his own layup, and grabbed the foul, to the tie the game at 115 - 115 with :6 left, Eric Bledsoe sank the game winning three - pointer to cap off a wild finish in Phoenix. T.J. Warren led the Suns in scoring with 27 points, to go along with seven rebounds, while Eric Bledsoe added 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Devin Booker tallied 15 points on 6 - of - 15 shooting in 39 minutes of action. Damian Lillard once again led the Blazers in scoring with 27 points, five assists and five rebounds. Lillard’s backcourt partner C.J. McCollum also tallied a solid scoring mark with 24 points, four boards and five assists. Both teams play on Friday, as the Blazers head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks while the New Orleans Pelicans will welcome the Suns.

["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 4 Losses ,has 27 Points in 4th quarter ,has 1 Wins ." "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 3 Losses ,has 2 Points in 4th quarter ."]

The Orlando Magic (1 - 4) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (0 - 5) 91 - 89 on Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. This was a battle of current Eastern Conference bottom feeders, as both teams came in looking for their first victory of the 2014 - 15 season. In a sloppy game, both teams committed over 20 turnovers, but the Magic were able to secure the victory after out - rebounding the Sixers 51 to 38. Channing Frye posted his first double - double of the season, scoring 13 points and securing 11 rebounds. Tobias Harris continued to lead the Magic in scoring as he finished with 18 points (8 - 18 FG, 0 - 3 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and eight rebounds. He's now scored in double figures in all five games for the Magic this season. Nikola Vucevic continued to post strong offensive numbers, chipping in 17 points to go along with five rebounds. This was the first game this season he had less than 10 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Ben Gordon went 5 - for - 11 from the field and 5 - for - 6 from the free - throw line to contribute 15 points. Tony Wroten continued his strong start to the season, finishing with 27 points and eight assists. He shot 9 - for - 16 from the field and 4 - for - 6 from the three - point line, but also comitted nine turnovers. He's now eclipsed the 20 - point mark in four out of five games this season. Brandon Davies had the next most points for the Sixers, as he had 20 points of his own, going 9 - for - 11 from the field. Coming off the bench, rookie K.J. McDaniels played 28 minutes and turned that into 12 points (5 - 10 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt) and three blocks. Uncharacteristic of a guard, he continues to provide blocks for the Sixers. Nerlens Noel had to leave after 17 minutes with a sprained left ankle and did not return. The Magic's next game will be at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, while the Sixers will play at home against the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

["TeamStat(G,'76ers') has 5 Losses ,has 89 Total points ,has 0 Rebounds ." "TeamStat(G,'Magic') has 4 Losses ,has 91 Total points ,has 51 Rebounds ,has 1 Wins ."]